[...]...x PREFACE the individual domains and researchers in computing and communications systems and to explore research topics that might be of relevance government-wide The first workshop in the series explored information technology research for crisis management.1 The second workshop, called Information Technology Research for Federal Statistics and held on February 9 and 10, 1999, in... 1-2-3, into a format with appropriate fonts and other features for publication 15 16 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH FOR FEDERAL STATISTICS tween the IT research community and the statistics community might be fostered IT innovation has been taking place throughout government, motivated by a belief that effective deployment of new technology could vastly enhance citizens’ access to government information. .. Systems, 23 Data Mining, 25 Metadata, 29 Information Integration, 30 Survey Instruments, 31 Limiting Disclosure, 34 Trustworthiness of Information Systems, 41 xv 1 17 xvi 3 CONTENTS INTERACTIONS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN FEDERAL STATISTICAL WORK APPENDIX WORKSHOP AGENDA AND PARTICIPANTS 44 49 1 Introduction and Context OVERVIEW OF FEDERAL STATISTICS Federal statistics play a key role in a wide... 1 2 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH FOR FEDERAL STATISTICS in gathering and disseminating statistical information The two largest statistical agencies are the Bureau of the Census (in the Department of Commerce) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (in the Department of Labor) About a dozen agencies have statistics as their principal line of work, while others collect statistics in conjunction... surveys of individuals Many surveys gather information from businesses or other organizations In some instances, similar interview methods are used; in others, especially with larger organizations, the data are collected through automated processes that employ standardized reporting formats 4 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH FOR FEDERAL STATISTICS BOX 1.2 Examples of Federal Statistical Surveys To give workshop... 3504), applies to government-wide information- collection activities, not just statistical surveys 12 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH FOR FEDERAL STATISTICS barrier to effective collaboration and data sharing for statistical purposes, the Clinton Administration has been seeking legislation that, while maintaining the existing distributed system, would establish uniform confidentiality protections and... the NRC xiii Contents 1 INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT Overview of Federal Statistics, 1 Activities of the Federal Statistics Agencies, 2 Data Collection, 3 Processing and Analysis, 7 Creation and Dissemination of Statistical Products, 9 Organization of the Federal Statistical System, 10 Information Technology Innovation in Federal Statistics, 14 2 RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES Human-Computer Interaction, 17 User... procedure, see, for example the U.S Census Bureau 1997 CPS Basic Monthly Survey: Sampling U.S Census Bureau, Washington, D.C Available online at continued 6 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH FOR FEDERAL STATISTICS BOX 1.2 Continued Since the survey is designed to be representative of the U.S population, a considerable quantity of useful information about the... workshop, which explored IT research opportunities of relevance to the collection, analysis, and dissemination of federal statistics, were drawn from a number of communities: IT research, IT research management, federal statistics, and academic statistics (see the appendix for the full agenda of the workshop and a list of participants) The workshop provided an opportunity for these communities to interact... systems to support federal statistics Two keynote speeches provided a foundation by describing developments in the statistics and information technology research communities The first panel presented four case studies Other panels then explored a range of ways in which IT is currently used in the federal statistical enterprise and articulated a set of challenges and opportunities for IT research in the . 29 Information Integration, 30 Survey Instruments, 31 Limiting Disclosure, 34 Trustworthiness of Information Systems, 41 xv xvi CONTENTS 3 INTERACTIONS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN FEDERAL. explore research topics that might be of relevance government-wide. The first workshop in the series explored information technology research for crisis management. 1 The second workshop, called Information. improved systems to support federal statistics. Two key- note speeches provided a foundation by describing developments in the statistics and information technology research communities. The first panel