Introduction
I. Scope
II. Design
III. Organization
IV. Data collection
V. Disaggregation of data
VI. Revision
VII. Publication
VIII. Evaluation
IX. Management
For each of its statistical products, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) embraces a standardized methodology that is suitable for that product. In doing so, GASTAT depends on the Manual of Statistical Procedures, which goes in line with the internationally approved procedures. Each of GASTAT’s statistical products goes through eight major stages, in addition to a ninth stage
having to do with the comprehensive “management”, as illustrated in the following figure, and the subsequent explanation.
The first 3 stages (Scope, Design and Organization) are a cooperative process between GASTAT and its clients, represented by developmental entities data users, while Phase 4 (Data Collection) is done through GASTAT’s cooperation with the statistical population, whether families, businesses or holdings, in order to complete data and information. The remaining phases are statistical
stages in which data is classified, reviewed and published. Then, Phase 8 (Evaluation) is carried out with clients. The Management stage is an administrative and organizational procedure applied across all stages. These stages have been applied to national account indicators as follows:
The starting point of the preparation of the (Exports Statistics) and the first shared stage between GASTAT and other stakeholders from relevant entities, represented in (Ministry of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources and the Saudi Customs as main sources for data. On the other hand, the Ministry of Economy and Planning as well as SAMA are the main beneficiaries of these statistics). Their feedback were considered to ensure the realization of all the objectives of Exports Statistics, which are:
1. Supporting decision and policy makers, reserachers, and those who are concerned with updated and comprehensive statistics and indicators that are related to Saudi Arabia Commodity Exports and Imports.
2. Following up with the changes in the movement of exports and imports in Saudi Arabia and other great countries within two different periods of time.
3. Identifying main exported commodities from and to each country
4. Developing important economic indicators for the components of national accounts and payment balance
5. Contributing in creating a commercial policy to protect and encourage local commodities and industries compared with the competing imported ones
Moreover, the published statistics would contribute in fulfilling the requirements of Saudi Vision 2030. In addition to other regional needs, including GCC Statistical Center as well as Arab League. Regardinginternational level needs, such statistics will also comply with the requirements of UN, WTO, FAO, and other organizations concerned with export and import statistics.
During this stage, a complete design for the statistical product in addition to the tools and methods of data collection are set forth . Clients are engaged in all these processes to take their feedback into account, so that the product would live up to their expectations.
The most important outcomes of this stage are:
1. Data sources:
GASTAT completed the most fundamental data relating to the statistics of commodity exports and imports from government entities, as follows:
• Data collected from the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources: which is a major source of oil exports
• Data collected from Saudi Customs: which is a major source of non-oil commodity exports and imports.
Data are provided to GASTAT so it can calculate their indicators and include them in the bulletin of Exports Statistics.
2. Concepts and terms of Exports Statistics:
1.2. Units of measurement: Units of measurement express any quantity of a commodity in net weight. In addition, there are some goods and items that are expressed by number (where the nature of some goods require indicating their numbers) such as sheep, cars, and watches (in addition to their weights in kilograms), as for the value, it is usually expressed in (Saudi riyals).
2.2. National exports: Exports of all goods fully produced or manufactured in the country or undergone some modifications that lead to a change in their shapes and values.
3.2. Re-exports: Refers to the sale of previously imported goods abroad without any clear modifications on them.
4.2. Exit port: The port in which the goods actually leave to the export country.
5.2. Transport: Spotting a pattern or a method to know if the transportation was made by air, land or sea.
6.2. Final destination: The final destination for the commodities, without being subject to any commercial transaction before reaching that country, and it is not the transit country.
7.2. Statistical guide: Replacing the commodity description with numeric codes، to be classified in the form of statistical tables that can be used for many statistical purposes. The statistical guide used in the foreign trade statistics is the commodity classification (Harmonized System H.S)
8.2. Net weight: The entire weight of goods, excluding packaging material.
9.2. Export value (F.O.P): The value of exported commodities based on (F.O.B) (free on board), which means the value of goods in addition to other costs until its delivered on the shipping method, or, it includes the value of commodities including all expenses up until the exporting office. .
3. Indicators:
4. Used statistical classification:
The classification is an organized group of related categories, which are used to collect data according to their similarity. It forms the base line for collecting and publishing data in different statistical fields, such as: (economic activity, products, expenses, occupations or health …etc.). Classification of data and information will assist in putting them in meaningful categories to produce useful statistics. In fact, data collection requires accurate order and methodology based on their common characteristics in order to produce comparable and reliable statistics.
Exports statistics are classified according to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding Systems (2017), also known as the Harmonized System (HS), which is maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO). The HS allows countries to classify traded products in an internationally standardized system of product names and codes
Table below shows the customs coding based on the harmonized system HS:
5. Coverage:
Exports statistics cover all (oil and non-oil) goods passing through customs ports in Saudi Arabia.
This is the last stage of preparation that precedes the process of collecting data. The procedures for the preparation of this bulletin have been prepared in this stage and will begin from the next stage "Collection “and end with the "Evaluation stage", as well as the organization and collection of these procedures and determining the appropriate sequence to reach a methodology that would achieve the objectives of Exports Statistics Bulletin. At this stage, the procedures that were carried out in preparation for the previous release of the bulletin were reviewed in order to develop the work procedures in this release. These procedures were also described and documented to facilitate updates in future cycles.
The statistical work procedures were tested to ensure that they meet the requirements of preparing the Exports Statistics Bulletin in its final form, then they were adopted, and a roadmap for implementation was set.
Fourth stage: Data collection:
GASTAT has coordinated with the Saudi Customs as well as the Ministry of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Sources to obtain data on exports statistics. These data include oil and non-oil exports and imports, and they were stored in GASTAT’s database to be revised and edited according to a scientific statistical methodology, also based on the internationally recognized standards in coordination with the data provider.
Fifth stage: Disaggregation of data:
Raw data of commodity exports and imports report were disaggregated based on classification and coding inputs that were created while collecting the data, which were classified according to WCO harmonized system of commodity classification (H.S.2017).
Data were presented in suitable tables to facilitate their summarization and results extraction, also to ease the process of their comparison with other data.
Number of steps were made in this stage, most importantly:
First: Data logicality and comprehensiveness:
To ensure quality and accuracy of data, , all the data are reviewed and matched to check their correctness and accuracy in a way that fits the nature of such data. .Data of the current survey are matched with the data of the previous survey to ensure their validity and logicality before processing, extracting, and reviewing the results in the next stages of data disaggregation.
Second: Data Confidentiality:
Data shall be kept confidential at GASTAT and shall be used for statistical purposes only. Collected statistical tables for a number of variables related to Exports Statistics are the data to be published.
First: Data Outputs Validation:
In addition to the revision process applied to the collected data of this Survey, and data of administrative records in the fourth stage, all outputs were stored and uploaded to the database after being calculated by GASTAT to be reviewed and processed by specialists in foreign trade statistics through modern technologies and software designed for this purpose.
Second: Dealing with confidential data:
According to the Royal Decree No. 23 dated 07-12-1397, shall be kept confidential, and must be used by GASTAT only for statistical purposes. Therefore, data are protected in the data servers of the Authority.
First: Preparation and Process of the Results Designed for Publishing:
During this stage, GASTAT downloaded the data’s results from the database of surveys of industrial production surveys. Then, publishing tables and charts of data and indicators, metadata, and methodology were all prepared and processed to be published in both languages English and Arabic.
Second: Preparing Media Kit and Announcing the Date of the Release:
The publication date of the bulletin is already set up by GASTAT on its official website at the beginning of the Calendar Year. During this period, the Authority is preparing the media kits to announce the date of releasing the bulletin through media, in addition to its various platforms in social networking sites. The bulletin will be published firstly on GASTAT’s official website in different formats, such as Excel format to be easily reached for all clients and those who are interested in Saudi Arabia’s commodity exports and imports. . It will be uploaded on the website’s statistics library as well.
Third: Communicating with the clients and providing the bulletin to them:
GASTAT believed in the importance of communication with the clients, therefore, once the bulletin is released, GASTAT will communicate with the clients and provide them with the bulletin. GASTAT will receive the questions and enquiries about the bulletin and its results through its various channels. Requests and enquiries are received through:
• GASTAT official website www.stats.gov.sa
• GASTAT official e-mail info@stats.gov.sa
• Client support’s email cs@stats.gov.sa
• Visiting GASTAT head office in Riyadh or in one of its branches in Saudi Arabia.
• Official letters
• Statistical helpline (920020081)
Fourth: Preservation of the published data:
GASTAT Documents and Archives Center has electronically stored and archived this bulletin, so that it can be referred to at any time if needed.
When the report is released and after it reached all clients, GASTAT will contact with them to assess the entire statistical process to achieve constant improvement in order to obtain high quality data. The improvements may include methodologies, operations, systems, skill of statistical researchers, and statistical work framework; this procedure is made in partnership with data users as well as GASTAT’s clients through a number of steps:
First: Collecting measurable evaluation inputs:
The most important comments and notes are collected and documented from their sources in different stages, such as the comments and notes written by specialists responsible for reviewing, auditing, and analyzing data collected from the administrative records, comments and notes collected and documented by data users after publishing the Bulletin, or social media comments, and clients’ feedback sent to the Authority through its main channels.
Second: Evaluation:
It is done by analyzing the collected assessment inputs, and comparing the results of this analysis with the ones predicted previously, identified and discussed with specialists, experts, and concerned partners. During this step, clients' performances and satisfaction levels of using the results of Saudi Arabia’s exports are measured. Based on that, suggested recommendations to obtain high quality data for future reports will be considered.
A comprehensive stage that is required to carry out each phase of the exports statistics. During this stage, the plan was set , which includes the feasibility study, risk management, financing methods, in addition to expenditure mechanisms. The plan also covered the development of performance indicators, quality criteria, and work force map required for production. Through this plan, the implementation process of the tasks assigned to different departments at each stage will be reported to ensure that GASTAT meets its clients’ requirements.