AMRADS

Accompanying Measure to Research and Development in Official Statistics (AMRADS) was designed to create the conditions for facilitating technology and know-how transfer within the European Statistical System. It promotes a networked take-up culture as well as actual exploitation of specific research and development statistical products and prototypes. For these purposes, it undertook baseline user studies and best practice identification and tested the outcome through a large kick-off conference involving all IST stakeholders. Further networking and awareness was built through working groups and workshops. At the heart of the project was the creation of a common infrastructure using latest information society technologies, via a Training and Software Demonstration Centre (TSDC), a repository of technical documentation in various fields, a website and a helpdesk. Evaluation was central to AMRADS.

The objectives of this project were to:

• strengthen the conditions for ensuring that established statistical research and development products, with embedded know-how, reach the 'market'
• encourage the transfer of identified best practice from centres of excellence to needy National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) within the European Statistical System, with particular emphasis on the needs of candidate countries
• set up the physical and virtual common infrastructure to enable the above two objectives to be met
• create the networks for servicing that common infrastructure on a sustainable basis

Archive contribution

The UK Data Archive was part of the working group on metadata that identified:

• user needs for methods and know-how
• current best practice
• transferable tools and training requirements
• accompanying actions such as the provision of material via the website, and the provision of training.

The Archive's contribution was based on experiences of the needs of data producers, publishers and users. An understanding of the importance of metadata standards and quality control in metadata production was important for the project, as well as experience of training and the application of metadata for web-based data publishing. A significant contribution was made to the discussion of generic problems facing data producers who wish to make their material more widely available to researchers and policy makers in a technical environment.

Principal Investigator: Hilary Beedham
Funder: EU
Dates: January 2001 - December 2003
Contact: UK Data Service