Scanner data is one of the Big Data sources which is used more and more in national statistical systems for the calculation of price indices. Many of the price measurement issues and methods for scanner data from supermarket chains and other retailers apply also to other big data sources, for example, online prices obtained from web scraping. This series of e-learning courses has been developed by the Task Team on Scanner Data of the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics. It showcases how scanner data can be used at a National Statistical Organisation (NSO). The courses demonstrate how to obtain Scanner data, develop coding examples and discuss applications, opportunities and challenges of its use at the NSO.

Overview of Alternative Data Sources

This introductory course is the first of a curriculum about “Alternative Data Sources for compiling Consumer Price Indices”.

It aims to raise awareness of what these data sources are and to showcase how they can be applied at a National Statistical Organisation.

The main characteristics of Alternative Data Sources, with their advantages but also challenges for incorporating their use at the National Statistical Institutes, are described focussing the attention on scanner data, web-scraped data, data obtained through Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, and administrative data.