Statistically Speaking has been created to provide SLA-CTOR members with a "quick list" of statistical resources related to the theme of the current Courier issue. When possible, the focus will be on sources that are free and available via the World Wide Web (WWW). The Spring 2002 issue of Courier deals with technology. Who collects statistics on information and communication technologies (ICT)? Who doesn't collect statistics on ICT might be an easier question to answer! What follows is a selection of some of the more authoritative sources for ICT statistics. They are ordered by geographic scope moving outward from Toronto to encompass the world and beyond. Toronto Toronto's Key Industry Clusters: Information Technology & Telecommunications http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/economic_profile/informationtech.htm This web site provides an overview of the ICT industry in the GTA. Data sources include consulting firms and federal government departments. Canada General Social Survey Cycle 14: Internet Use (Statistics Canada) The Daily. June 29, 2001. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/010629/d010629i.htm The Daily, a Statistics Canada newsletter, describes two free publications produced from data collected through Cycle 14 of the General Social Survey. Respondents to this survey answered questions about computer use and the impact of technology on privacy and access to information. Strategis (Industry Canada) http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/it04944e.html This business and consumer information portal includes a section dedicated to the ICT sector in Canada. Industry profiles and reports include national figures on revenue, employment, GDP contribution, R&D, capital expenditures, and trade. United States A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/index.html Computer Use and Ownership (US Census Bureau) http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer.html These reports are based on data collected through the Current Population Survey and include breakdowns by education, race, and income. Economic Census (US Census Bureau) http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/econ97.html The Economic Census is conducted every five years and includes establishment and sales figures for industries and industry segments organized by NAICS. Statistics related to ICT industries can be found primarily in the manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, and information sector-specific reports. Global Information and Communication Technologies Statistics (OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) http://www.oecd.org/ Use the Statistics Portal to access the ICT Statistics section of this web site. A variety of statistic-laden publications can be "browsed" on the web site, including the following: Measuring the ICT Sector http://www1.oecd.org/dsti/sti/it/prod/measuring_ict.pdf Includes trade, employment, and production figures for member countries. CIA World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency, USA) http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ This well known reference source now includes ICT statistics. Ever wondered how many telephone lines, ISPs, or Internet users there are in Tonga or maybe Yemen? This is the source to consult! World Development Indicators 2001 Data Tables (World Bank Group) http://www.worldbank.org/data/databytopic/databytopic.html Data tables from this well known print publication are available for free on the World Bank Group web site. World Development Indicators records measurements for over 800 indicators from 148 economies. Some of the figures in Tables 5.9 (Power and Communications), 5.10 (The Information Age), and 5.11 (Science and Technology) include the cost of operating mobile phones, ICT expenditures as a % of GDP, and high tech exports. Extra-Terrestrial Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute http://www.seti-inst.edu/Welcome.html SETI is an effort to detect evidence of technologies produced by civilizations other than our own. That is, those that exist elsewhere in the universe. Okay, so they haven't actually published statistics related to existing extra-terrestrial technology yet… |
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