Welcome to the Metadata website
Reliable statistics necessitate good quality documentation of methodologies and
statistical production processes. Metadata is the term used to describe other
data, and are necessary to understand data and to make better comparisons among
different statistical domains, geographically and over time. Metadata are
produced and used throughout all processes of the statistical production system.
Successful management of metadata implies that metadata are made available and
reused as and when needed.
This dedicated website serves as an integrated collection of metadata that
brings together individual characteristics of different domains or sources
within the NSO, irrespective of their source.
It includes a repository of statistical concepts, metadata reports (including
quality reports) for a wide range of surveys and domains in different formats,
as well as an extensive list of classifications used at the NSO:
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The ‘Statistical Concepts’ section does not only provide a comprehensive
definition of each statistical term, but also gives the different sources these
concepts emerge from, together with an exhaustive list of related variables. The
relevant links incorporated within each statistical concept make it easy for
users to view more detailed information about related sources and methods and to
find the relevant source of information quickly.
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The ‘Reports’ section provides a vast selection of metadata files for different
domains and in different formats, namely the
Euro-SDMX
Metadata Standard (ESMS) and the
ESS Standard
for Quality Reports Structure (ESQRS), the two most important and widely
used standards for the reporting of meta-information developed by Eurostat.
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The ‘Classifications’ section includes a list of widely used statistical
classifications used by production units within the NSO. A classification is a
tool, a language and a model. It is an indispensable instrument for coding and
presenting data in an ordered manner. Users of the Metadata Website can get a
good overview of the main classifications which are structured hierarchically,
and which may be downloaded in different formats.
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The ‘SDDS’ section provides
a direct access to the National Summary Data Page of Malta, including a wide
range of reports in the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) format, which
forms part of the IMF’s Data Standards Initiatives for the compilation and
dissemination of statistical data.