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Object | Group | Definition | Explanatory Text | Synonyms |
Acquisition Activity | Business | The set of executed processes and the actual resources required as inputs and produced as outputs to acquire data about a given Population for a particular reference period. It includes the process and resources required to acquire data in a Statistical Program consisting of gathering data via one or more Data Channels in order to create or feed one or more Data Resources. | This object holds Statistical Activity information that relates specifically to data collection or acquisition. It inherits the relationships and attributes from the Statistical Activity type. |
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Acquisition Design | Business | The specification of the resources required and processes used and description of relevant methodological information for a set of activities to collect data about a given Population. | This object holds Statistical Program Design information that relates specifically to data collection or acquisition. It inherits the relationships and attributes from the Statistical Program Design type. Related to Acquisition Design is Acquisition Activity, which holds the detailed information about the conduct of the Acquisition Activity for a single reference period, The Acquisition Design describes the methodology and design elements that are intended to apply across all Acquisition Activities until such time as a decision is made to alter the design. |
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Administrative Details | Base | A placeholder for extensions to the GSIM model. | GSIM does not seek to replicate or embed constructs from the administration of objects held in metadata registries, but includes this placeholder to allow for future extensions. |
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Analysis Population | Concepts | A Population used for the analysis, processing, or dissemination of statistical data. | Population determined by parameters of an analysis | object class, analytical population |
Analysis Unit | Concepts | A Unit that is defined for the analysis, processing, or dissemination of statistical data. | Object corresponding to an Analysis Population | analytical unit, unit of analysis |
Assessment | Business | An activity to analyze quality or effectiveness and consider available options. | The Assessment is a generic class that regroups different types of more specific assessments. An example of Assessment is a SWOT assessment that identifies the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a specified proposal. Another example is a Gap Analysis that formalizes the difference between the current situation and the state to reach due to certain requirements. An Assessment can use various objects as inputs, whether they are the main objects that the Assessment is about or auxiliary information objects that help the accomplishment of the assessment. |
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Attribute Component | Structures | The role given to a Represented Variable in the context of a Data Structure. The role is to hold the pertinent information in addition to the identifiers and measures for a particular unit in a Data Set. | For example the publication status of an observation (e.g. provisional, final, revised), or information specific to the use of an Identifier in the context of a Data Set. |
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Object | Group | Definition | Explanatory Text | Synonyms |
Category | Concepts | A Concept whose role is to extensionally define and measure a characteristic. | Categories for the Concept of sex include: Male, Female | class |
Category Item | Concepts | An element of a Category Set. | A type of Node |
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Category Set | Concepts | A list of Categories | A kind of Node Set for which the Categories have no assigned Designations. |
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Change Definition | Business | A structured, well-defined specification for a proposed change. | A related object - the Statistical Need - is a change expression as it has been received by an organization. A Statistical Need is a raw expression of a proposed change, and is not necessarily well-defined. A Change Definition is created when a Statistical Need is analyzed by an organization, and expresses the raw need in well-defined, structured terms. |
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Channel Activity Specification | Business | The description of the Data Channel made at run time. | This object is a specialization of a Data Channel and is used to describe the behaviour of a Data Channel at execution time. |
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Channel Design Specification | Business | The description of the Data Channel made at design time. | This object is a specialization of a Data Channel, and is used to make the design of the characteristics of a Data Channel before using it. |
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Classification | Concepts | A set of related Classification Schemes. The Classification relates Classification Schemes which differ as versions or variants of each other. | For example, NAICS (North American Industrial Classification System) is a Classification, but NAICS 2002 and NAICS 2007 are Classification Schemes, as they are different versions of NAICS. |
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Classification Family | Concepts | A set of Classifications that are related from a certain point of view. | The Classification Family includes Classifications devoted to describing the same subject matter, such as industries. |
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Classification item | Concepts | A Category at a certain |
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Classification Scheme | Concepts | A structured list of mutually exclusive Categories. Such a structured list may be linear or hierarchically structured. | Classification Scheme has two subtypes - Classification Version and Classification Variant. In a hierarchical Classification Scheme, Categories organized into Levels determined by the hierarchy. The Categories in each Level are mutually exclusive and exhaustive. |
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Classification Variant | Concepts | A Classification Variant is based on a Classification Version. In a variant, the Categories of the Classification Version are split, aggregated or regrouped to provide additions or alternatives to the standard order and structure of the base version. |
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Classification Version | Concepts | A Classification Version is a list of mutually exclusive Categories representing the version-specific values of the classification variable. | A Classification Version has a certain normative status and is valid for a given period of time. |
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Code | Concepts | A Designation for a Category | Codes are unique within their Code List. Example: M (Male) F (Female) |
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Code Item | Concepts | An element of a Code List. | A type of Node |
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Code List | Concepts | A list of Categories where each Category has a predefined Code assigned to it. | A kind of Node Set for which the Category contained in each Node has a Code assigned as a Designation. |
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Code Value | Concepts | An alpha-numeric string used to represent a Code. | This is a kind of Sign used for Codes. |
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Collection Description | Business | The set of information that provides a textual description of the processes and methods used to undertake an Acquisition Activity. It provides a set of contextual and reference metadata about the acquisition process. |
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Concept | Concepts | Unit of thought differentiated by characteristics | ISO 1087-1 defines Concept as a "unit of knowledge created by a unique combination of characteristics". First, the term knowledge is poorly defined, and the word thought seems to capture the idea more cleanly. Second, different systems may try to capture the same thought but depend on different characteristics (i.e., attributes). For instance, typical demographic surveys care about age, sex, income, ethnicity, and education of persons. However, persons in a justice survey are either criminals or victims. |
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Concept System | Concepts | Set of Concepts structured by the relations among them. | Here are 2 examples 1) Concept of Sex: Male, Female, Other 2) ISIC (the list is too long to write down) |
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Conceptual Domain | Concepts | Set of Categories, irrespective of any relations among them | Here are 3 examples - 1) Sex categories (enumerated CD): male, female, other |
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Contact Details | Base | A collection of modes and strings by which an Organization Item can be contacted. | Contact modes can include (but are not limited to) telephone, e-mail or fax. In these cases, the relevant strings would be the telephone number, e-mail address and fax number. |
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Context Key | Base | Gives semantic or structural meaning to the value of a Contextual String. | Context Key has two sub classes - Type and Language. For example: Type = Short Name, or Language = French |
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Contextual String | Base | A textual value, which is given context by one or more Context Keys. | A Contextual String can be given context by one or more Context Key. For example: Type = Short Name, or Language = French |
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Control Transition | Business | Governs how to determine the next Instrument Control based on factors such as the current location in the Instrument, the response to the previous questions etc. |
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Correspondence Table | Concepts | A tool for the linking of Classifications. A Correspondence Table systematically explains where, and to what extent, the Categories in may be found in different Classification Schemes of the same Classification or in Classification Schemes of different Classifications. | Given 2 Category Sets 1) Marital Status A: Married, Single 2) Marital Status B: Married, Single, Widowed, Divorced A Correspondence Table harmonizing the 2 Category Sets will contain Maps that link Categories from each set: Married (A) > Married (B) Single (A) < Single (B), Widowed (B), Divorced (B) where the arrow points to the Category which is more generic. |
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