Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA)

Client Profile

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency is an executive agency within the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland. The organisation is responsible for the collection and publication of statistics related to the economy, population and society of Northern Ireland. It is also responsible for conducting the decennial census and incorporates the General Register Office(GRO) for Northern Ireland which is responsible for the registration of births, marriages, civil partnerships, and deaths.

NISRA provides services to a wide range of Government Departments and Non-Departmental Public Bodies, as well as Local Councils to assist the policy development process and the delivery of their business objectives. This includes details on areas such as population, economy, the labour market and more. They play a crucial role in providing accurate and reliable data to support evidence-based decision-making in Northern Ireland.

Challenges the Client Faced 

Designed, built and operated by ITS, NISRA’s survey management system required a ‘like for like’ technical refresh to allow for the continued, effective, and secure running of the service. Due to the nature of NISRA's work it demanded the implementation of a robust and secure approach that would safeguard sensitive information. The new solution needed to allow for the electronic distribution and receipt of surveys, allowing businesses to complete and submit via an online web form, making access easier across multiple channels and devices.

Solution

At the core of the refresh was the implementation of ITS’s Outreach Portal, an innovative digital platform that can be configured to the user’s preference. The solution also includes:

• Seamless integration with other elements of the system.
• Development of new components to support survey respondent data collection.
• Interfaces between existing 'back end' systems and Outreach Portal for dynamic data validation.
• Advanced data validation includes comparisons with past years to identify errors.
• Improved accuracy enables precise and reliable data submission.
• NISRA collects and analyses higher quality data.
• Replacement of outdated offline forms system with customised electronic forms solution.
• Ensures system accessibility across a range of devices.
• Allows 24/7 input of survey data.
• Alignment with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
• Enhances accessibility through a browser-oriented approach.

The Results

Through digitisation, NISRA will experience an increase in their survey response rate, as well as;

• More accessible and accurate survey data.
• A decrease in physical storage needs compared to paper-based records.
• A reduced environmental footprint due to reduced paper usage and postage.
• Streamlined operations, saving time and money.