Compare reference websites by purpose and evidence
Compare up to three directory records: purpose, publisher, documented facts, sources and review dates. Choose a starting point without an invented score.
Prepare your comparison
First decide what you need: a primary document, an explanation, a dataset or a service. Two resources on the same subject can serve different purposes. Start with a subject to narrow the choice, then select two or three records.
Compare the documented information
Missing information remains unspecified. Review dates belong to the original records; displaying this table does not recheck the resources.
Selected resources: purpose, evidence and destinations
French public statistics on population, economy, regions and society.
European Union statistics, indicators and country comparisons.
French open public data platform with datasets, reuse examples and publishing organisations.
Publisher
Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques
Commission européenne
Direction interministérielle du numérique
Origin
France
Europe
France
Subject
Public services
World & international
Public services
Documented facts and added evidence
Period : Date of the measured events, separate from publication.
Scope : Territory, population and indicator definition.
Reuse : Retain source, version and documentation before calculating.
Raw and adjusted : A seasonally adjusted series aims to remove periodic fluctuations to clarify its evolution. Check the stated treatment before comparing series; raw and seasonally adjusted data are not interchangeable versions of a table.
Retain context : For reuse, keep the series code, period, unit and treatment with the download date. A value copied without these details can be mistakenly compared with a neighbouring index or another publication frequency.
Insee period and geography : An indicator’s year differs from the reference geographical vintage. Source: Insee — Territorial comparator dataset · consulted on
Unpublished values : Some indicators are not published for every municipality, including for confidentiality reasons. Source: Insee — Territorial comparator dataset · consulted on
b : Break in the time series.
p : Provisional value.
: and 0 : The symbol : means unavailable; 0 represents a real zero.
Method : Also inspect units, dimensions and metadata.
Zero and small value : “0” represents a real zero; “0n” a value smaller than half the unit used. “:” means unavailable. These three states are not interchangeable.
Series treatment : For short-term business statistics, Eurostat distinguishes unadjusted, calendar-adjusted and seasonally adjusted data. Keep this dimension in an export: the selected treatment identifies the series just as its unit does.
Match dimensions : Before a monthly comparison, check frequency, unit, area and adjustment in both selections. A chart screenshot can hide a filtered dimension; retain the full selection and the metadata explaining its treatment.
Dimension selection : A dropdown may show only preselected options. “Customise your dataset” reveals all available dimensions and positions: check the unit, frequency and geographical aggregate in particular. Source: Eurostat — Customise the data selection · consulted on
Fixed or moving period : “Static positions” retains selected positions. “Fixed time” retains a number of recent periods and adapts as periods are added. Record actual years, rather than only “last ten years”, to reproduce a comparison. Source: Eurostat — Customise the data selection · consulted on
Producer : Identify the organisation publishing the dataset.
Resource : Separate the dataset description from the file or API used.
Reuse : Retain licence, period, version and transformation method.
Stated frequency : The entered update frequency describes an intended schedule and remains indicative. Compare it with the available resource and covered period; it does not guarantee that the downloaded file already contains the next period.
File or external link : A resource may be hosted on the platform or link to an external server. Keep both the record link and the file link used. If downloading fails, identify the affected resource rather than concluding that the entire dataset has disappeared.
What the score covers : The score concerns metadata, including descriptions, documentation, update frequency, licensing and resources. It helps assess a dataset; it is not verification of every observation in a file. Source: data.gouv.fr — Score de qualité des métadonnées · consulted on
Stated update schedule : The declared update frequency and compliance with it are criteria. Compare that schedule with the period you need: a well-documented annual dataset can be unsuitable for a daily question. Source: data.gouv.fr — Score de qualité des métadonnées · consulted on
Read the purpose: choose the resource that supplies the missing document or action.
Check the publisher and source: an explanatory page does not replace an original dataset or formal procedure.
Open the record, then consult the destination for current conditions and applicable dates.
Record the evidence supporting your choice and the uncertainty that remains.
Different review dates do not prove that one website is better. The table does not measure service availability, accessibility, privacy, prices or reliability and does not rank the resources.
