The Swiss way to enhance comparability of environmental information

1. Economics and Environmental Monitoring Division The Swiss way to enhance comparability of environmental information Dec 3rd 2014, Markus Wüest, FOEN

2. Agenda • Why do we need comparability? • Is «comparability» an issue in CH? • What is comparability? • Swiss way(s)!

3. Why do we need comparability? • “The global financial crisis revealed the risks posed by interlinkages across institutions and markets to the national and global financial systems. • Given the data gaps revealed by the financial crisis, we realized a few years back that the data standards need to be enhanced. • G-20 Data Gaps Initiative includes 20 recommendations covering data on the financial sector, cross-border interconnections, and domestic vulnerabilities. • We very much recognize the importance of data as a public good. In this context, we are upgrading our data platforms and improving the way we distribute data and statistics to our membership throughout the world.” The 2nd IMF Statistical Forum, Statistics for Policymaking Christine Lagarde Managing Director, International Monetary Fund Washington, D.C., Tuesday, November 18, 2014

4. Is «Comparability» an issue in CH? • Yes! • CH -> EEA, EUROSTAT, OECD, etc. • CH -> Environment with other Federal Agencies for Agriculture, Transport, Energy, SD, … • CH -> 26 Cantons, 2000 local communities, … • CH -> Tourism, Insurance, R&D, … • Comparibility is not only an environmental issue!

5. What needs to be comparable? • Context? • Measurement methods? • Calculation methods? • Quality Assurement? • Naming? • Description? • Datamodel? • Presentation? • Format? • User Rights? • Protection needs? • Public availability? • Costs? • Archivation? • …

6. What needs to be comparable? • Context? • Measurement methods? • Calculation methods? • Quality Assurement? • Naming? • Description? • Datamodel? • Presentation? • Format? • User Rights? • Protection needs? • Public availability? • Costs? • Archivation? • …

7. Go Public! • Swiss Federal Government has to define measurement and calculation methods and coordinates measurement and data collections. • Law-text describes or names methods. • Documentation of Methods, Audit Reports and other context information should be open and public. • Besides the issue-specific-best practice-procedures Switzerlands Environmental Monitoring uses a general Self-Assessment-Checklist for Quality Assessment since 2006.

8. What needs to be comparable? • Context? • Measurement methods? • Calculation methods? • Quality Assurement? • Naming? • Description? • Datamodel? • Presentation? • Format? • User Rights? • Protection needs? • Public availability? • Costs? • Archivation? • …

9. Babylon? • Lists with «Names», «Description» is foundation • Methods of technical data description and definition of exchange methods can be defined • by law, eg. Geodata: Webservice, Interlis http://map.bafu.admin.ch • by centralized systems, eg. Opendata http://opendata.admin.ch • by best practice, eg. Indicators http://www.bafu.admin.ch/zustand • But, an inflating number of methods will not help! • RDF/linked open data, SDMX, GML, …

10. What needs to be comparable? • Context? • Measurement methods? • Calculation methods? • Quality Assurement? • Naming? • Description? • Datamodel? • Presentation? • Format? • User Rights? • Protection needs? • Public availability? • Costs? • Archivation? • …

11. Comparability needs public availability! • Aarhushelps! • not only national level (also cantons) • OGD, re-using PSI helps! • not only environmental information • Swiss National Governmentsupports OGD • open andfreemeteorologicaldata • open geodata • open-access forresearch in discussion

12. Lesson learned! • No single way to comparability! • A lot of things to do! • Go public! • Aarhus helps! • Thank you! • Questions?