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by
Amara Satharasinghe, Senior Statistician, Dept. of Census and
Statistics
The Department of Census and Statistics is the central agency responsible for collection, compilation and dissemination of data on the demographic and socio-economic conditions of the country. Data dissemination is the process of extracting statistical information from a database, pulling it all together to produce statistical output that can be understood and used by the user and has relevance to the statistical query it seeks to satisfy. Until recently the information compiled by the department has been disseminated by means of hard copies only. Hardcopy is a paper print out. Customized statistical outputs, Census and surveys reports etc, were published only in hard copies. Hardcopies are most useful in countries where computers are not used as a source of data extraction and analysis. There are several disadvantages in disseminating data only in the form of hard copies. Getting out data quickly and having to make changes manually are some of them. Keying data in hard copies again for computer aided further analysis by users, is a waste time and other resources. Storage is also a serious problem. Also issuing tables and analyses in printed reports could add months to the process. One of electronic data dissemination method that is now being used by the department is publishing the data in the department's website www.statistics.gov.lk Department's website was established in 1998. Under this method data users are able to directly access demographic and socio-economic data published in the site and to download just the data they need. This system is accessible to the widest possible array of users through the Internet. The department has recognized that not all data users have access to the Internet. To make sure that people not on the information super highway still have access to the data they need, data are disseminated through compact discs also. Diskettes and Compact Discs (CD) are the most common modes of electronic data delivery. Each type has advantages and disadvantages. Though diskettes is a well known medium for delivery and dispatch of data and ideal for storing small files it is not ideal for large files unless the data is compressed and then the user has to have access to software that are used to uncompress the files. It can also attract viruses if not checked when moving between machines. Recently the department released a CD containing seven publications of the Department. The publications included in this CD are Statistical Abstract 2000. Household Income and Expenditure Survey Report (Final) 1995/96, National Accounts of Sri Lanka 1999 and Quarterly Labour Force Survey Reports from 3rd quarter 1999 to 2nd quarter 2000. The Statistical Abstract is an annual publication. It summarizes the information on demographic and socio-economic conditions of the country, compiled by the Department of Census and Statistics and a few other Key Departments and Ministries over the previous five years. It contained over 500 statistical tables under various fields. Household Income and Expenditure Survey 1995/96 was conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics under the National Household Sample Survey Program. This survey is the fourth in the series of income and expenditure surveys conducted once in every five years. This survey was done in twelve monthly rounds and was conducted during the period from November 1995 to October 1996. The survey was implemented to capture the seasonal variation of income and expenditure values of the households at district level. Sri Lanka Labour Force Survey has been designed to measure the levels and trends of employment, unemployment and labour force in Sri Lanka. This survey has been conducted quarterly, since the first quarter of 1990. Detailed statistical tables on labour force participation rate by age group, sex and sector, currently employed persons by employment status major industrial sector, level of education and sex, unemployment rate by sector, age group and sex, etc, are included in this publication. The National Accounts of Sri Lanka 1999, report reviews the economic performance of the country during the year 1999.
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