Metadata constitutes a key element in the production and dissemination of European Satistics. The principle is that in order to be correctly interpreted data should be accompanied with relevant reference metadata. As a result, Eurostat supports all stakeholders in the production, revision and dissemination of reference metadata.
Similarly to data, reference metadata is compiled by national statistics institutes and other national authorities in each EU Member State and EFTA countries before being transmitted to Eurostat for further processing and dissemination.
The Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX) standard is used for the provision of reference metadata across the ESS. The reporting structures SIMS, ESMS and ESQRS have been defined and are currently used for the reporting and publication of national and European reference metadata reports.
The following Eurostat tools may be used when transmitting reference metadata to Eurostat:
- ESS MH supports the transmission and validation of reference metadata in the ESS
- EDAMIS is used by the ESS MH to officially transmit the national metadata reports
- Euro SDMX Registry is used by the ESSMH to obtain the appropriate metadata report
For more information on the ESS standards and tools for metadata transmission please visit the corresponding pages available on this platform or contact us at ESTAT-DATA-METADATA-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu