1. Contact | ||||||||||||
1.1 Contact organisation | ||||||||||||
National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) | ||||||||||||
1.2 Contact organisation unit | ||||||||||||
Unit SCI/C | ||||||||||||
1.3 Contact name | ||||||||||||
1.4 Contact person function | ||||||||||||
1.5 Contact mail address | ||||||||||||
Via Tuscolana, 1788 I-00173 Rome | ||||||||||||
1.6 Contact email address | ||||||||||||
1.7 Contact phone number | ||||||||||||
1.8 Contact fax number | ||||||||||||
2. Metadata update | ||||||||||||
2.1 Metadata last certified | ||||||||||||
14/03/2016 | ||||||||||||
2.2 Metadata last posted | ||||||||||||
14/03/2016 | ||||||||||||
2.3 Metadata last update | ||||||||||||
14/03/2016 | ||||||||||||
3. Statistical presentation | ||||||||||||
3.1 Data description | ||||||||||||
Indicatori dei permessi di costruire (Quarterly indicators of building permits). "Quick Survey on building permits" is a quarterly sample survey; it collects information on new building projects (residential or non-residential) or enlargement of pre-existing buildings, with the exception of transformations and renovations. Information is supplied by those who ask for building permits or DIA (start-of-work notification) or SCIA (Start-of-work certified reports) and is collected by municipalities that monthly send the material to Istat.A building permit is an authorisation to start to work on a building project. As such, a permit is the final stage of planning and building authorisations, prior to the start of work. Hence, the building permit indices are a good estimation for the future development and trends in construction. It may be the case that a large proportion of permits are not used or there is a long time lag between permits and the start of the building project, however, an index based on these permits gives good indications of the workload for building in the near future. Data disseminated are referred to: 1) Number of dwellings (total, in one and in two or more dwellings residential buildings) 2) Square meters of useful floor area of dwellings (total, in one and in two or more dwellings residential buildings) 3) Square meters of residencies for communities 4) Square meters of non residential activities (total, in office buildings and in other non residential activities) | ||||||||||||
3.2 Classification system | ||||||||||||
Classification of Types of construction (CC) | ||||||||||||
3.3 Coverage - sector | ||||||||||||
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3.4 Statistical concepts and definitions | ||||||||||||
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3.5 Statistical unit | ||||||||||||
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3.6 Statistical population | ||||||||||||
New building projects (residential or non-residential) or enlargement of pre-existing buildings. The average number is about 17000 per year. | ||||||||||||
3.7 Reference area | ||||||||||||
The area covered by the index is the whole national territory. | ||||||||||||
3.8 Coverage - Time | ||||||||||||
Data are available since 2000. Questionnaire was last revised in 2010. | ||||||||||||
3.9 Base period | ||||||||||||
Not relevant | ||||||||||||
4. Unit of measure | ||||||||||||
The quantity of the residential buildings is measured in cubic meters of volume and square meters, dwellings in habitable floor area, that of non-residential buildings in square meters of area (absolute figures). | ||||||||||||
5. Reference Period | ||||||||||||
Data collection and production process are both montly, while indicators and data dissemination are quarterly. | ||||||||||||
6. Institutional Mandate | ||||||||||||
6.1 Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements | ||||||||||||
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6.2 Institutional Mandate - data sharing | ||||||||||||
No other transmissions to international organisations except Eurostat. | ||||||||||||
7. Confidentiality | ||||||||||||
7.1 Confidentiality - policy | ||||||||||||
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7.2 Confidentiality - data treatment | ||||||||||||
Not relevant. | ||||||||||||
8. Release policy | ||||||||||||
8.1 Release calendar | ||||||||||||
Data are only transmitted to Eurostat and disseminated nationally without a predefined release calendar. | ||||||||||||
8.2 Release calendar access | ||||||||||||
Information on release are given via a quarterly calendar (Piano trimestrale delle diffusioni). | ||||||||||||
8.3 Release policy - user access | ||||||||||||
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9. Frequency of dissemination | ||||||||||||
Every 6 months (two quarters). | ||||||||||||
10. Accessibility and clarity | ||||||||||||
10.1 Dissemination format - News release | ||||||||||||
"Indicatori dei permessi di costruire" is a biannual press release, it includes data and a technical explanatory note. In this document graphs and tables ease the data analysis. A short text explains recent evolution for the phenomenon. | ||||||||||||
10.2 Dissemination format - Publications | ||||||||||||
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10.3 Dissemination format - online database | ||||||||||||
Time series are included in the ISTAT on-line database under the theme Industry and Construction. The on-line database I.Stat is open and free, statistics are organised by theme in a two-level hierarchical tree. Data are presented in aggregate form in multidimensional tables; acting on variables, reference periods and the arrangement of heads and sides users can create custom tables and graphs. The system can be searched by keyword, theme and region. | ||||||||||||
10.4 Dissemination format - microdata access | ||||||||||||
Before data dissemination, validated microdata are stored in the repository of the Institute, ARMIDA. The repository ARMIDA (Archive of validated microdata) was established with the main objective of preserving and documenting the data produced by Istat surveys, and has subsequently supported the objective of disseminating data. The data archived in ARMIDA supplies, in fact, the different channels for the dissemination of microdata (for internal use at the Institute through the "Memorandum of access to microdata of ARMIDA" internal users ", for authorities in Sistan, for research files, for standard files, etc.). The micro-data stored in ARMIDA are also used to respond to requests of external users submitted to the Adele laboratory http://www.istat.it/en/information/researchers/laboratory-for-elementary-data-a | ||||||||||||
10.5 Dissemination format - other | ||||||||||||
Data are sent to Eurostat as confidential and used for European aggregates, part of them become free for dissemination at national level once published by Istat, the rest of data continue to be confidential. | ||||||||||||
10.6 Documentation on methodology | ||||||||||||
A short description of the methodology and characteristics of the survey is contained in the technical explanatory note attached to the press release updated regularly. Methodology and sources of the index are described in “Estimates based on preliminary data from a specific sub-sample and from respondents not included in the subsample”, (Falorsi, Alleva, Bacchini and Iannacone) Statistical methods and applications, Vol.14, n.1, Springer-Verlag, Feb. 2005. | ||||||||||||
10.7 Quality management - documentation | ||||||||||||
More information about procedures applied for quality management and quality assessment in the document "Quality Guidelines For Statistical Processes" - December 2012 http://www.istat.it/en/files/2011/11/QualityGuidelines_EngVers_1.11.pdf | ||||||||||||
11. Quality management | ||||||||||||
11.1 Quality assurance | ||||||||||||
Istat quality policy is coherent with the European Statistics Code of Practice adopted in 2005 (and revised in 2011) and available at the link http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/quality/european-statistics-code-of-practice, with Eurostat Quality Definition and with the recommendations of the LEG on Quality. Following the principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice, Italy has adopted the Italian Code of Official Statistics in order to promote quality improvements of the statistics produced by the Italian National Statistical System. Essential points of Istat quality policy are: process and product quality, documentation, respect for respondents, strengthening of statistical literacy and users’ orientation. For more details: http://www.istat.it/en/about-istat/quality. Quality assurance for this survey, in the framework of the quality policy of Istat, is based on the implementation of various activities, such as 1) Prevention and monitoring of non-respondent, initiatives to foster survey participation and follow-ups of non-respondent units (see point 14.3); 2) Checking of every paper questionnaire before data entry and submission of on-line questionnaires to some variable compatibility checks; checking of few fields during data entry; 3) Quality control action based on fully deterministic and mixed procedures for the treatment of deterministic error and outlier detection and imputation; the first procedure is based on deterministic modelling, the second (BANFF procedure) is carried out by clerical reviewers and is based on data from previous editions of the same survey; 4) Coherence control with previous data of the same survey; 5) Elaboration of a set of standard quality indicators. | ||||||||||||
11.2 Quality management - assessment | ||||||||||||
The overall quality assessment can be considered satisfactory as there is a compliance between the production process and Istat quality guidelines. Indicators are relevant with regard to users’s information needs, they are accurate and easily accessible and supported by metadata allowing for a perfect understanding of the data, they allows comparisons over time and respect the timing. A set of standard quality indicators are regularly analysed and shows the following indicators: coverage and unit nonresponse (since 2008), editing and imputation (since 2007), timeliness and punctuality (since 2003), resources (since 2005). They are available on Siqual (Information System on Quality), with graphs and tables that ease the analysis. In 2014, this survey was submitted to an audit on quality in a testing phase. | ||||||||||||
12. Relevance | ||||||||||||
12.1 Relevance - User Needs | ||||||||||||
Eurostat, local institutions (regions, provinces, municipalities), domain associations and organizations, media, enterprises, reseachers and students, internal users. Users mainly manage these data for studying evolution and planning policies at national or local level. | ||||||||||||
12.2 Relevance - User Satisfaction | ||||||||||||
Not available. | ||||||||||||
12.3 Completeness | ||||||||||||
Eurostat's requirements in terms of time series are fulfilled (some data are flagged as confidential). | ||||||||||||
13. Accuracy | ||||||||||||
13.1 Accuracy - overall | ||||||||||||
All the measures useful to reduce sampling and non sampling errors are implemented, so the overall accuracy of the index can be considered good. Moreover, between the first and the final release there is an average lag of 18 months; these indicators normally show a similar trend. | ||||||||||||
13.2 Sampling error | ||||||||||||
In 2013 size sample was modified: from 814 to 1034 units on a total of 8058 municipalities; outlier treatment and adjustments for non-response are included, but an assessment of sampling errors is not available. | ||||||||||||
13.3 Non-sampling error | ||||||||||||
Non sampling errors are reduced by applying a set of actions. In the collection phase, for reducing late transmission and increase response rate, postal reminders, fax, email, telephone contact are used; paper questionnaires are checked before data entry. Moreover, since july 2010, it is possible to fill in an online questionnaire that helps aiming at an increase of the response rate and debugging through a compatibility check on some main variables. Other actions are based on checking procedures of few single fields during data entry and automated error checking procedures after data entry. Response rate is around 65% at the time of the first release to Eurostat and around 73% at the second release (response rates weighted by populations). | ||||||||||||
14. Timeliness and punctuality | ||||||||||||
14.1 Timeliness | ||||||||||||
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14.2 Punctuality | ||||||||||||
On time releases to Eurostat within 90 days as required. For national dissemination only an internal calendar is fixed. | ||||||||||||
15. Coherence and comparability | ||||||||||||
15.1 Comparability - geographical | ||||||||||||
Data are disseminated at national level complying with the European definitions (CR 1503/2006); the whole national territory is covered by the same definitions and methods. Annual data on dwellings and square meters of useful floor in new residential buildings per 1,000 households are available by NUTS 2 regions in the online pubblication "Noi Italia - 100 statistics to understand the country we live in". | ||||||||||||
15.2 Comparability - over time | ||||||||||||
Data are comparable from year 2000. | ||||||||||||
15.3 Coherence - cross domain | ||||||||||||
Comparisons with index of production in construction: trends are consistent and differences are explained by weight of this survey that accounts for about 40% of total data in the construction sector. | ||||||||||||
15.4 Coherence - internal | ||||||||||||
Variables V411 and V412 are coherent for common types of buildings. | ||||||||||||
16. Cost and Burden | ||||||||||||
There are two types of cost, one referring to 10 persons working full-time for the Index of building permits unit and another one linked to the data-entry; this data entry process is related only to paper questionnaires, used by municipalities that do not use the on-line application. As regards burden, respondents need about 15 minutes to fill the questionnaire, while municipalities need about 2-3 minutes to validate and send it. The assessment of these costs and burden covers the statistics for both STS and national requirements. | ||||||||||||
17. Data revision | ||||||||||||
17.1 Data revision - policy | ||||||||||||
Revision policy is carried out to consider late incoming data and benchmarking procedures (see point 19.2); a revision calendar is prepared, but only for internal staff. Revisions do not include seasonal adjustment. Transparency of disseminated data is ensured: major changes in methodology and in others survey features are infrequent but are promptly disseminated in methodological notes attached to data releases or through letters sent to municipalities. Errors are rare but, if occurred, they are promptly corrected: in order to inform users, correct results are disseminated both to Eurostat and on the Istat website. There is an internal database where vintage data are stocked. The same revision policy is applied to data released nationally and transmitted to Eurostat. | ||||||||||||
17.2 Data revision - practice | ||||||||||||
Data revision is composed by 3 steps: - a first revision is carried out after 90 days from the first release, taking into account new data arrived after the first estimate - a second revision is carried out in September in the year following the release of the first estimate as a result of a benchmarking procedure based on percentage changes - a third revision is carried out in September in the year t+2 of the release of the first estimate as a result of a benchmarking procedure which takes into account data of the yearly survey on building permits. No revisions are carried out to take into account building permits revoked. A paragraph called "Revisioni" is included in the press release “Indicatori dei permessi di costruire” of each July and it contains differences with previous data disseminated. A methodological note contains further information on revision policy, criteria, periodicity. | ||||||||||||
18. Statistical processing | ||||||||||||
18.1 Source data | ||||||||||||
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18.2 Frequency of data collection | ||||||||||||
Monthly | ||||||||||||
18.3 Data collection | ||||||||||||
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18.4 Data validation | ||||||||||||
Data validation is applied following three type of rules: Validation level 0: format and file structure checks Validation level 1: intra-dataset checks based at record and cell level Validation level 2: revision checks and time series checks (coherence control with previous data of the same survey). | ||||||||||||
18.5 Data compilation | ||||||||||||
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18.6 Adjustment | ||||||||||||
Data are disseminated in unadjusted form: series are not adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects. | ||||||||||||
19. Comment | ||||||||||||
None. |