The Blaise system for integrated survey processing - ARCHIVED

Application of recent developments in computer technology allow national statistical offices to produce high quality statistics in an efficient way. At the Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) an increasing use is made of microcomputers in all steps of the statistical production process. This paper discusses the role of software and hardware in data collection, data editing, tabulation, and analysis. To avoid the negative effects of uncontrolled de-centralized data processing, the importance of integration is stressed. This makes the statistical production process easier to manage, and moreover it increases its efficiency. The Blaise System, developed by the CBS, is discussed as a data processing tool that encourages integration. Using a description of the survey questionnaire, this system is able to automatically generate various computer programs for data collection (CAPI or CATI), or data entry and data editing (CADI). The system can also create interfaces to other packages. Particularly, the link between Blaise and the internally developed packages Bascula (for weighting) and Abacus (for tabulation) is described. In this way the Blaise System controls and co-ordinates, and therefore integrates, a large part of the survey process.