Frequently asked questions (FAQ) - Statistical and Data Standards

Are standards compulsory?

Each standard must include a statement regarding the degree to which its application is compulsory: departmental, recommended or program specific. More details can be found at Is your standard compulsory?

What is a Survey?

Survey for which the information is collected for some units of the target population

What is a Questionnaire?

A questionnaire is a research instrument that consists of a set of questions for the purpose of gathering information from respondents through survey or statistical study.

What is a Variable?

A variable is a characteristic of a statistical unit being observed that may assume more than one of a set of values to which a numerical measure or a category from a classification can be assigned.

What is a Statistical unit?

A statistical unit is the unit of observation or measurement for which data are collected or derived.

What is a statistical classification?

A systematic grouping of the values that a variable can take comprising mutually exclusive classes, covering the full set of values, and often providing a hierarchical structure for aggregating data. More than one classification can be used to represent data for a given variable.

How do we define standards?

Standards comprises of statistical standards which in turn is defined by statistical data standards and statistical metadata standards. More details can be found at How do we define standards?