It’s a Numbers Game
Josh Neale has left Honiara with a deep understanding of the enormous effort that goes into data collection in the Solomon Islands – and the knowledge he’s shared will help streamline processes for partner organisation, the country’s National Statistic Office (NSO).
Data Analyst Josh Neale says working alongside the Solomon Islands’ top statisticians to establish new ways to collect, process, analyse and disseminate information was as much a learning experience for him as it was for the team at NSO.
“It’s been an equal exchange of knowledge,” begins Josh. “My background is in economic consulting and data analysis, where there’s a specialised team for each project or initiative. But working within a small organisation, you really get to see every part of the process, gain some different perspectives and learn skills from your colleagues.”
The Solomon Islands Government had requested assistance to improve its technical capability, specifically in relation to the data captured during the 2019 Census, and through its annual business survey.
Josh says he was “amazed” at what the NSO was already accomplishing with its Census and was able to suggest software that would help streamline data collection, processing and analysis for future surveys such as the upcoming Household Income and Expenditure Survey.
“We chose Survey Solutions and R Studio as solutions that wouldn’t incur thousands in annual licence fees. These tools dramatically simplify the process of collecting and processing data, making graphs, and creating high quality publications for large survey projects.”
Chief Statistician in the NSO’s Social Unit, Anterlyn Tuzakana, says data processing was done via CS Pro, the only software package we mainly used during Censuses and other surveys. She’s delighted with the Survey Solutions and R Studio applications. “They’re already helping us improve the quality and the timeliness of the data – the editing, the tabulation and the analysis.”
Elsewhere within the NSO, Kiwi-born, US-raised Josh spent time with Principal Statistician Moffat Sanau in the Economic Unit, which processes business data and statistics. “Josh was the right person with the right expertise to help us make amendments to our GDP database, so it was more functional,” says Moffat, “as well as help us formulate reporting on our business and employment figures.”
In each case, Josh ran training workshops to upskill the team in R Studio and Survey Solutions, the latter of which is a platform developed by the World Bank for data collection agencies such as statistics offices. “It was great to show how user-friendly software can be, and that once these modern tools are set up, data analysis becomes a lot simpler,” Josh says.
Josh’s nine-month assignment, which began in August 2022, also allowed him to pick up the local parlance, Pijin. In fact, he preferred to use it over English in his daily work, including during his training workshops. “Moffat keeps telling me I’m fluent, although I’m sure I’m still pretty terrible,” he laughs.
Josh’s partner, Jem, also volunteered with VSA, taking a role with the Ministry of Health. “We’ve both agreed that this has been a huge opportunity to learn for both of us,” says Josh. “I have gained an understanding of how a country compiles a system of national accounts, how GDP is calculated and how different collection methodologies are applied.
“Although the assignment is over, I’ll stay in touch to provide any extra support the NSO needs. It’s important that they continue to have the confidence to use the software and systems we’ve established together, because they’ve worked really hard.”
Article published 7 June 2023.