Observance Status
As of the end of the second quarter of 2005, none of the 61 SDDS subscribers
was declared not in observance of the SDDS requirements for the coverage,
periodicity, and timeliness of the data and for the dissemination of
advance release calendars (ARCs) (Table 1). The IMF's
Dissemination
Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB) disseminates a complete list of
subscribers. Observance of SDDS metadata requirements improved with
the increase in posted Summary Methodologies.
| Table 1. SDDS Indicators |
| Indicators |
As of June 30, 2004 |
As of March 31, 2005 |
As of June 30, 2005 |
| Number of subscribers |
57 |
60 |
61 |
| Number of countries officially in observance1 |
57 |
60 |
61 |
| Number of summary methodologies posted2 |
977 |
1136 |
1161 |
1Observance
of the requirements of the SDDS with respect to the coverage,
periodicity, and timeliness of the data and the use of ARCs. Other
elements of the SDDS dealing with the integrity and quality of
the data are on a self-disclosure basis, with subscribers providing
information on which users can make their own judgments. A subscriber
experiencing difficulties in meeting SDDS requirements is not
automatically in "nonobservance" of the SDDS. When deviations
from SDDS requirements occur, the IMF staff tries to resolve the
issue with the subscriber, and then, if necessary, through the
Executive Director. If these efforts fail, the matter is brought
to the attention of the subscriber's Governor for the Fund. A
subscriber is officially declared in "nonobservance"
only when a note to that effect is posted on the DSBB.
2Out of a required total of 1,297 summary methodologies
(21 data categories per subscriber, plus 16 subscribers that are
currently disseminating the encouraged forward-looking indicators).
All subscribers are disseminating summary methodologies for most
data categories. |
Monitoring Data Releases
The IMF monitors the data and access dimensions of the SDDS for each
subscriber by comparing the first appearance of new information on the
National Summary Data Page (NSDP) against the last release date announced
in the advance release calendar, which should meet the SDDS timeliness
requirements.
Compared with the same quarter in 2004, there was an increase of 0.5
percentage points in the on time dissemination of monthly data categories
in the second quarter of 2005, and an increase of 2.2 percentage points
for quarterly data categories. Under the monthly data categories, the
timeliness of the production index declined by 2.6 percentage points,
producer prices increased by 2.3 percentage points, and merchandise
trade increased by 2.3 percentage points. Under the quarterly data categories,
national accounts increased by 3.7 percentage points, unemployment increased
by 4 percentage points, and balance of payments increased by 2.1 percentage
points, while central government debt declined by 3.6 percentage points.
(Table 2).
Compared with the first quarter of 2005, there was an increase of about
1.7 percentage points in the on-time dissemination of monthly data categories
and an increase of 3.8 percentage points in the quarterly data categories.
Under the monthly data categories, the timeliness of consumer prices
increased by 2.5 percentage points, producer prices increased by 1.4
percentage points, central government operations increased by 5.5 percentage
points, while official reserves decreased by 1.6 percentage points.
Under the quarterly data categories, the timeliness of national accounts
increased by 10.1 percentage points, balance of payments increased by
4.0 percentage points, external debt increased by 9.1 percentage points,
while central government debt decreased by 0.5 percentage points.
Annual data experienced an increase of 3.1 percentage points in the number
of on time releases compared with the previous quarter, and a decrease
of 6.3 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2004.
Table 2. Monitoring
of Data Releases
January 2004-March 2005
Percentage of data disseminated on the National Summary Data Page
(NSDP) in accordance with the SDDS timeliness requirements (quarterly
averages) |
| Data Categories |
Q2/04(R) |
Q1/05 |
Q2/05 |
| Monthly data |
89.3 |
88.1 |
89.8 |
| Production index |
93.2 |
91.2 |
90.6 |
| Consumer prices |
95.3 |
93.6 |
96.1 |
| Producer prices |
92.0 |
92.9 |
94.3 |
| Central government operations |
79.6 |
75.2 |
80.7 |
| Analytical accounts of banking
sector |
89.2 |
89.0 |
90.3 |
| Analytical accounts of central
bank |
89.3 |
85.8 |
88.3 |
| Official reserves |
84.6 |
87.6 |
86.0 |
| Reserves template |
89.3 |
87.0 |
88.9 |
| Merchandise trade |
91.0 |
90.7 |
93.3 |
| Quarterly data |
90.6 |
89.0 |
92.8 |
| National accounts |
88.1 |
81.7 |
91.8 |
| Employment |
92.3 |
90.9 |
93.2 |
| Unemployment |
90.2 |
93.3 |
94.2 |
| Wages and earnings |
90.4 |
91.3 |
91.8 |
| Central government debt |
87.3 |
84.2 |
83.7 |
| Balance of payments |
92.5 |
90.6 |
94.6 |
| External debt |
93.7 |
90.9 |
100.0 |
| Annual data |
89.8 |
80.4 |
83.5 |
| General government operations |
92.7 |
77.4 |
75.9 |
| International investment position |
86.8 |
83.3 |
91.1 |
| (R): revised |
Enhancements to the Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB)
As of June 30, 2005, the DSBB supported metadata dissemination for
61 SDDS subscribers. The DSBB is an important instrument in providing
information to all users on the data dissemination practices of SDDS
subscribers. The DSBB was redesigned in 2003 and now offers a dynamic
querying capability (such as searching for specific information on statistical
practices on national accounts) into the metadata it contains. Content
management system (CMS) technology has been implemented to promote operational
efficiency and accuracy in metadata maintenance. Automated templates
have been developed for the processing of advance release calendars.
Several labor-intensive functions, such as the monitoring of SDDS observance
also have been partially automated.
Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board