Indicator Handbook

The SIBIS Indicator Handbook has been developed with the purpose in mind to provide an easy to browse and use source of information on terms and statistical measurement in the 9 SIBIS topic areas. It includes information on

• possible indicators with exact and codified definitions,
• methodological pitfalls and proposals how to deal with these,
• alternative and supplementary indicators with strengths and weaknesses,
• experiences gathered within data collection and analytical work with the indicators.

The target groups of the handbook are

• NSI and multinational statistical institutions which regularly collect data on information society issues and which have to look for a further development of their current data assessments,
• scientists, research and consulting firms and other institutions which themselves undertake regular or one-off data collections on information society issues usually for specific purposes (e.g. the analysis of social or economic phenomena, a policy or programme evaluation etc.)
• politicians and administrators which set guidelines to operationalise and evaluate information society policy measures.

The handbook consists of two basic parts: the indicator system description and the glossary. The indicator system description presents each indicator including information on its exact definition and the availability of data, methodological notes (e.g. on normalisation, reliability), the wording of survey questions developed within SIBIS (or taken from existing surveys for existing indicators) and references to comparable indicators. The glossary defines the most important constructs and terms used in the different topic areas of the indicator system.