Methodology and Quality Update

Methodology and Quality last update

 08/12/2024 

Statistical Presentation

Data description  

Environment Statistics are a statistical product that collects data through administrative records about key characteristics as follows:
•    Environmental conditions and quality.
•    Environmental resources and their uses.
•    Waste.
•    Human settlements and environmental health. 

Classification system

The following classifications are applied in Environment Statistics:
The National Classification for Economic Activities (ISIC4):
It is a statistical classification based on the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC4) used to describe the productive activities of an establishment. 
General Framework for the Development of Environmental Statistics (FDES 2013):
It is a multi-purpose, comprehensive and integrated conceptual and statistical framework, prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division, that defines the scope of environmental statistics and provides an organizational structure to guide the collection and compilation of environmental statistics at the national level, collecting data from various relevant areas and sources, and is also of a general and holistic nature that encompasses environmental issues and aspects relevant to policy analysis and decision-making through its application to cross-cutting issues, such as SEEA.
This framework is an important document because of its effective role in: 
•    Determine the scope of environment statistics.
•    Facilitate the presentation of data in various fields and from different sources.
•    Organize environmental topics in a simplified way, avoiding complexities, so that environmental indicators can be measured more easily.
•    Contribute to identifying environmental statistics relevant to decision-making in society.
•    Deal consistently with statistical frameworks used in other areas, contributing to the integration of environmental statistics with other types of statistics.
•    It is founded on a conceptual basis.
The framework organizes environment statistics in a simple and flexible manner and consists of six main sections,  as follows:
•    Section one: Environmental conditions and quality. 
•    Section two: Environmental resources and their uses.
•    Section three: Waste.
•    Section four: Serious accidents and disasters.
•    Section five: Human settlements and environmental health. 
•    Section six: Environmental protection, management, and obligations.
The classifications are available on the GASTAT’s website: www.stats.gov.sa
The framework for the development of environmental statistics (FDES 2013) is published on the United Nations website at the following link: UNSD - Environment Statistics 

Sector coverage

The Environment Statistics publication covers municipal, industrial and agricultural activities.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Concepts and Terminology of the Environment Statistics publication:
•    Environment statistics:
Statistics that describe the state and trends of the environment, covering the media of the
natural environment (air/climate, water, land/soil), the biota within the media, and human
settlements. Environment Statistics tend by nature to achieve integration as they
measure human activities and natural events that affect the environment, the effects of
these activities and events, the social response to environmental impacts, and the quality
and availability of natural assets.
•    Air Temperature:
The temperature of the atmosphere which represents the average kinetic energy of the
molecular motion in a small region and is defined in terms of a standard thermometer.
•    Rain:
The amount of water falling in rain, during a certain time and region.
•    Wind speed:
Wind speed describes how quickly air moves beyond a certain point. This may be an average on a certain unit of time, such as miles per hour, or instant speed.
•    Dam:
It is an artificial barrier or obstruction that holds water, including any solid materials or other substances that may be present in it.
•    Torrents:
Heavy amount of water resulting from rainwater falling above the ground. Torrents often
occur in mountainous areas and valley areas and run at great speeds.
•    Land degradation:
The reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rain-fed
cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest or woodlands resulting from natural
processes, land uses or other human activities and habitation patterns such as land
contamination, soil erosion and the destruction of the vegetation cover.
•    Rangelands:
Lands predominantly occupied by native vegetation which is grazed by herbivores or
rodents.
•    Protected Area:
Any area of land or water that has been allocated for a special purpose, often to prevent
or minimize damage to wildlife and ecosystems.
•    Forests:
Land with a tree canopy cover of more than 10% and an area of more than 0.5 hectares.
•    Acidity (or pH):
A measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. pH of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base. The pH of water is a very important measurement concerning water quality.
•    Nitrogenous oxygen demand:
A quantitative measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen required for the biological
oxidation of nitrogenous material.
•    Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD): 
The amount of oxygen used for biochemical oxidation by the unit of water volume at a
given temperature and for a given period of time. It is an indicator of the degree of organic contamination in water. The dissolved oxygen required by living organisms for the aerobic decomposition of organic matter in water.
•    Chemical oxygen demand (COD): 
It is a test for indirect measurement of the number of organic compounds in water. Most COD applications determine the number of organic pollutants found in surface water (e.g.
lakes and rivers) or wastewater, making COD a useful measure of water quality.
•    Salinity:
The degree of dissolved salts in water measured by weight in parts per thousand.
•    Water Temperature:
Water temperature is a physical property expressing how hot or cold water is.
Temperature can further be defined as a measurement of the average thermal energy of a
substance. Thermal energy is the kinetic energy of atoms and molecules, so temperature
in turn measures the average kinetic energy of the atoms and molecules. This energy can
be transferred between substances as the flow of heat. Heat transfer, whether from the
air, sunlight, another water source or thermal pollution can change the temperature of
water.
•    Phosphorus:
An essential component of organisms growth and contributes to enriching the water of
lakes and other water bodies with nutrients.
Agricultural production is divided into two parts, namely plant and animal production, and production is defined as the actual quantity.
•    Groundwater:  
Underground fresh water or saline water (usually in aquifers) supplies water to wells.
•    Surface Water:
All water naturally open to the atmosphere, including rivers, lakes, reservoirs, streams,
impoundment’s, seas, estuaries and so on. The term also covers springs, wells or other
collectors of water that are directly influenced by surface waters. All waters exposed to the atmosphere, including rivers, lakes, reservoirs, streams, places of detention, seas, estuaries, etc. the term also includes springs, wells, and other watersheds directly affected by surface water.
•    Fresh water: 
It is water with low salts concentration, and it is considered suitable water for extraction
and treatment to produce potable water.
•    Water treatment: 
It is a process that makes the withdrawn water suitable for its first use, and the used water is treated with advanced mechanical and biological technologies.
•    Desalinated water:
 The total volume of water obtained from desalination of seawater and brackish water.
•    Reused water: 
Used water directly received from another user with or without treatment to be used for
other purposes. It also includes treated wastewater obtained from treatment plants for use for other purposes.  It excludes wastewater discharged into a watercourse and used
again downstream, and recycling of water within industrial sites.
•    Wastewater:
 Discharge of effluent from wastewater treatment plants which receive wastewater from
households, commercial establishments, and industries.
•    Waste: 
Everyday waste resulting from human activities. Its percentage is on the rise in developing
countries, especially where there is overpopulation. Without public health awareness,
waste can lead to serious harm. It does not include recycled or reused materials; and is
divided into:
Organic waste:
Biodegradable materials, such as food and garden waste.
Inorganic waste:
Waste that does not contain organic compounds such as plastics, metals.
Municipal waste:
Waste material usually generated in the residential environment. Waste with similar
characteristics may be generated in other economic activities.
Municipal waste generated:
The sum of the amount of municipal waste collected plus the estimated amount of
municipal waste from areas not served by a municipal waste collection service.
Collected Municipal Waste:
Municipal waste collected by or on behalf of municipalities, as well as municipal waste
collected by the private sector. It includes mixed waste, and fractions collected
separately for recovery operations (through door-to-door collection and/or through
voluntary deposits).
Industrial waste:
Solid, liquid and gaseous waste arising from the manufacture of products.
•    Waste management: 
Various activities include:
Collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste.
Control, monitor and regulate the generation, collection, transport, treatment and
disposal of waste.
Prevent the generation of waste through modifications within production.
•    Recycling: 
Processing and use waste in production and consumption processes, such as smelting iron
waste so that it can be converted into iron products.
•    Waste Processing:
Physical, thermal, chemical or biological processes, which change the properties of wastes
in order to reduce their size or hazardous nature, to facilitate their handling or to enhance
recovery.
•    Landfilling:
Final placement of waste under the surface in a controlled or non-controlled manner.  The definition covers both landfilling in internal sites (i.e., where a generator of waste is
carrying out its own waste disposal at the place of generation) and in external sites.
•    Waste Incineration:
The controlled combustion of waste with or without energy recovery.
•    Transition stations:
Stations that are used at some stage of waste transportation process to treatment sites
and facilities, waste sorting or to final disposal sites in order to reduce the cost of
transportation.
•    Safe "Improved” Drinking Water Source: 
Piped water into dwelling, plot or yard; public tap or standpipe; protected dug well;
protected spring and rainwater. 
•    Water supply:
Water distribution, including collection, treatment and storage, for use in a town, city or
municipal area, which is generally used to meet domestic and industrial needs.
•    Public Network: 
It is the network that transports water from sources and storage reservoirs to places of use, in addition to the pipes and networks within residential units and near sources of clean water.
•    Public Sewage Network: 
All extensions and equipment used to collect, transport and deliver sewage effluents to
treatment or discharge sites, including pipe extensions, collection tanks, manholes,
pumping stations, ventilation valves, etc.
•    Green Spaces:
It is a place prepared with grass, flowers or trees in parks, playgrounds and squares not intended for agricultural use.
•    Exports and imports:
The transactions and commercial movements between countries for the exchange of
various productive goods and services in order to exchange benefits and meet the general
needs of the countries.
•    Surface water withdrawn:
All water found on the Earth's surface, including water in rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, swamps, and wetlands.
•    Atmospheric pressure: 
It is the pressure within the Earth's atmosphere, defined by the combined weight of the air particles in that layer. 
•    Forests: 
Land with a tree canopy cover of more than 10% and an area greater than 0.5 hectares.
•    Fecal coliform:
It is almost exclusively found in human intestinal waste. If detected in water, it is an indicator that the water has been contaminated with sewage or has been improperly treated.

Statistical unit

Not applicable.

Statistical population

Not applicable.

Reference area

The survey covers 13 administrative regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Time coverage

Data is available for some indicators as a time series from 2010 to 2023.

Base period

Not applicable.                   

Unit of measure

•    Statistics measured in percentage (e.g.: Average temperatures, small temperatures, etc)
•    Some of them are measured in millimeters (e.g.: The annual average rainfall).
•    Some indicators are calculated in tons (e.g.: The amount of collected waste, and the amount of treated waste. etc)
•    Some indicators are calculated in square kilometers (e.g.: Area of protected areas, and area of green spaces... etc)
•    Statistics calculated as a percentage (e.g.: The percentage of the population using improved (safe) drinking water.

Reference period

References period to the variables or dataset as following:
Data from administrative records are based on the last day of each calendar year.

Confidentiality 

Confidentiality - policy

According to the Royal Decree No. 23 dated 07-12-1397, data must always be kept confidential and must be used by GASTAT only for statistical purposes.
Therefore, the data are protected in the data servers of the Authority.

Confidentiality - data treatment

Data are displayed in appropriate tables to facilitate its summarization, comprehension, results extraction, comparison with other data and coming up with statistical connotations for the study community. It is also easier to check tables without the need to see the original questionnaire, which usually include data like names and addresses of individuals, names of data providers, which violates the confidentiality of statistical data.

Release policy

Release calendar

The Environment Statistics publication has been included in the statistical calendar.

Release calendar access

Available on the:

https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/future-releases

User access

One of GASTAT’s objectives is to better meet its clients' needs, so it immediately provides them with the publication's results once the Environment Statistics publication is published.
It also receives questions and inquiries of the clients about the Publication and its results through various communication channels, such as:
•    GASTAT official website:  www.stats.gov.sa
•    GASTAT official e-mail address:   info@stats.gov.sa
•    Client support e-mail:   info@stats.gov.sa
•    Official visits to GASTAT’s official head office in Riyadh or one of its branches in Saudi Arabia.
•    Official letters.
•    Statistical telephone: (199009).

Frequency of dissemination

Annual. 

Accessibility and clarity

News release

The announcements of each publication are available on release calendar as mentioned in 7.2. Release calendar access. The news release can be viewed on the website of GASTAT through the following link:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/news

Publications

GASTAT issues Environment Statistics publication and Reports on a regular basis within a pre-prepared dissemination plan and are published on GASTAT’s website. GASTAT is keen to publish its publications in a way that serves all users of different types, including publications in different formats that contain (publication tables, data graphs, indicators, Methodology and Quality Report) in both English and Arabic.
The results of the Environment Statistics publication are available at:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics 

On-line database

Not available.

Micro-data access 

Not available.

Other

Not available.

Documentation on methodology

•    The Environmental Statistics Publication is based on the General Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) Issued by the United Nations Environment Statistics Division:
UNSD - Environment Statistics 

•    The concepts and definitions are based on the list of terms published on the United Nations website via the link:
United Nations Statistics Division - Environment Statistics  

•    The European Environment Agency’s website is at the link:
Glossary - European Environment Agency (Europa.EU) 

Quality documentation

Quality documentation covers documentation on methods and standards for assessing, measuring, and monitoring the quality of statistical process and output. It is based on standard quality criteria such as relevance, accuracy and reliability, timeliness and punctuality, accessibility and clarity, comparability, and coherence.

Quality management

Quality assurance

GASTAT declares that it considers the following principles: impartiality, user orientated, quality of processes and output, effectiveness of statistical processes, reducing the workload for respondents. 
Quality controls and validation of data are actions carried out throughout the process in different stages such as the data input and data collection and other final controls.

Quality assessment

GASTAT performs all statistical activities according to a national model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process. This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality issues related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

Relevance 

User needs

Internal users in the GASTAT for the Environment Statistics publication data:
•    International indicators department.
•    Health and Education Statistics Department. 
•    General Department of Strategic Communication and Client Support. 
•    Population, Gender, and Diversity Statistics Department.
•    Geo Data and Maps Department.
•    Traffic & Transport Statistics Department.
Some several external users and beneficiaries greatly benefit from Environment Statistics publication data, including:
•    Government entities
•    Regional and international organizations
•    Research institutions.
•    Media.
•    Individual researchers and scholars.

The disseminated key variables used by external users:

User satisfaction

Not available.

Completeness 

The data of the Environmental Statistics Publication is based on two main sources: administrative records and data from statistical surveys and censuses, in order to provide comprehensive information on environmental statistics. The data is complete.

Data coverage:

The General Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) consists of 458 individual statistics organized in a structure (sections, subsections and topics), of which four sections are addressed in this first edition of this publication, according to availability and compatibility. The core set is divided into three layers of statistics, and according to the layers of the “Core Set of Environment Statistics”, a number of statistics are covered as follows:
•    First layer:
34 statistics were covered according to the available data from 100 high-priority statistics with a sound methodological basis, 11 of which are covered in other products.
•    Second layer:
29 statistics were covered according to the available data from 200 environmental statistics that are prioritized but require methodological development, 12 of which are covered in other products.
•    Third layer:
10 statistics were covered based on data from 158 environmental statistics that are either of low priority or require significant methodological development, of which 2 were covered in other products.

Accuracy and reliability 

Overall accuracy

•    Data is checked with previous years to identify any significant changes in the data.
•    The internal consistency of the data is checked before it is finalized.
•    The links between variables are checked and coherence between different data series is confirmed.

Timeliness and punctuality 

Timeliness 

The General Authority for Statistics is committed to applying internationally recognized standards regarding the announcement, clarification of the time of publishing statistics on its official website, as outlined in the statistical calendar, as well as adhering to the announced time of publication. In the event of any delay, updates will be provided accordingly.

Punctuality

It is published according to the publication dates of the statistical calendar published for the Environment Statistics publication on the General Authority for Statistics’ web page.

Coherence and comparability

Comparability - geographical

The data are fully comparable between the administrative regions of Saudi Arabia.

Comparability - over time 

Data is fully comparable.

Coherence- cross domain 

Not applicable. 

Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics 

Not applicable. 

Coherence- National Accounts 

Not applicable. 

Coherence - internal 

Not applicable.

Data revision

Data revision - policy

Not applicable, only final results will be published.

Data revision - practice

Not applicable, only final results will be published.

Statistical processing

Source data

The Environment Statistics Publication relies on two main sources, which makes it provide comprehensive data related to environment statistics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where it includes statistics from sources in the General Authority for Statistics (censuses, statistical surveys) and statistics from sources of administrative records, through which data can be obtained annually and on a regular basis, to calculate its indicators and issue them in the Environment Statistics Publication.
The following table shows the data sources in the publication of Environment Statistics:

Frequency of data collection 

Annual.

Data collection

Data collection from administrative records:
In coordination with the relevant departments of the Authority responsible for collecting administrative data, information for the Environmental Statistics Publication is obtained from the administrative records of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture; the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing;  Saudi Water Authority;  National Center for Meteorology;  National Center for Wildlife;  National Center for Environmental Compliance;  National Centre for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification;  Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu; and  National Water Company.
They will be stored in the authority's databases after auditing and reviewing according to established statistical methods and recognized quality standards, with reference to the data source in case any errors are discovered or if there are any observations regarding the data.

Data validation

Data are reviewed and matched to ensure their accuracy and precision in a way that suits their nature with the aim of giving the presented statistics quality and accuracy. 
The data of the current year publication are compared with the data of the previous year to ensure their integrity and consistency in preparation for processing data and extracting and reviewing results.
In addition to the data processing and tabulation to check their accuracy, all the outputs are stored and uploaded to the database after being calculated by GASTAT to be reviewed and processed by specialists in Environment, Agriculture, and Energy Statistics Department through modern technologies and software designed for this purpose.

Data compilation

Data editing:
Specialists of Environment, Agriculture, and Energy Statistics Department have processed and analyzed data in this stage, and this step was based on the following measures:
•    Sorting and arranging data in groups or different categories in a serial order.
•    Summarizing detailed data into key points or data.
•    Combining many data segments and ensuring their interconnection.
•    Processing incomplete or missing data.
•    Processing illogical data.
•    Converting data into statistically significant data.
•    Arranging, presenting, and interpreting data.
Data are presented in proper tables so that they may be simply summarised, understood, comprehended, and extracted, as well as compared to other data and statistical significances. Furthermore, such data may be conveniently accessed in the form of tables.

Adjustment

Not applicable, only final results will be published.