Developed in 2003, the DQAF covers five dimensions of data quality and a set of prerequisites for data quality. The five dimensions of data quality are: integrity, methodological soundness, accuracy and reliability, serviceability, and accessibility. The framework has 50 indicators that are broad and qualitative by nature. The IMF’s DQAF provides guidance for the concepts being measured in the current U.S. Census Bureau TASC but does not provide specific indicators/questions that are easily measurable. The proposed TASC aims to fill the gap between theory (DQAF) and practice (U.S. Census Bureau’s TASC).

In 1999, the PARIS21 Task Team on Statistical Building developed a set of indicators to help track the statistical capacity of countries. The indicators were developed specifically to target “statistically challenged countries.” The tool includes sixteen quantitative indicators that primarily measure performance and eighteen qualitative indicators drawn largely from the IMF’s DQAF. The main limitation of this approach is that the quantitative indicators measure only performance, and the qualitative indicators provide highly aggregated scores that lack discriminatory power. Therefore, the indicators do not aid the measurement of the statistical capacity of an NSO.

The World Bank publishes a Statistical Performance Indicator (SPI) for over 140 countries. The indicator is constructed using metadata from the World Bank, IMF, UN, UNESCO, and WHO. A score is computed for three dimensions: (1) statistical methodology, (2) source data, and (3) periodicity and timeliness. The main drawback of this method is that it is based on performance indicators rather than capacity indicators. A low SPI is not sufficient to inform the user on the causes of a low score and a high SPI score may be the result of foreign technical assistance and funding. Therefore, the SPI does not necessarily provide information about the capacity or sustainability of an NSO. Finally, the SPI does not reveal whether the data produced by the countries are effectively shared and used or if the methodology behind them is reliable.

The tool was developed in 2005 and has been used to assess health information systems (HIS) in over fifty countries. The HMN assessment tool examines six components of HIS: HIS resources, indicators, data sources, data management, information products, and dissemination and use. The HMN Assessment Tool cannot be used to inform the TASC because it is focused on measuring HIS. However, it provides a useful framework for the scoring system and administration of a tool meant to assess capacity across a broad range of skills and activities.