Statistical Terms Glossary

Generally agreed position at a given time by most scientists specialized in a given field.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) defines scientific literacy as the capacity to use scientific knowledge, to identify questions, and to draw evidence-based conclusions in order to understand and help make decisions about the natural world and the changes made to it through human activity.

The domain of price transactions that the PPI aims to measure. The conceptual boundaries of the PPI in terms of the products, transactions, geographical areas, and producers to which it refers.

Technique for evaluating a borrower, primarily his ability to repay a loan.

Scrap are discarded or rejected materials that result from manufacturing or fabricating operations and are suitable for reprocessing

Scrapping occurs when capital assets are withdrawn from the capital stock at the end of their service lives. Scrapping is synonymous with “discards” and “retirements"

It refers to a kind of application software that would enable a person with severe visual impairment to use computers, tablets and smart-phones (Watson 2005). It enables persons with such impairments to access files, dialog boxes, menus and other information in lieu of a monitor.

Written obligation of a bank acting as paying agent for an issue, to hand over to the subscriber the definitive certificates as soon as they have been issued.

The issue of additional stock free of charge to stockholders in proportion to the stock they already hold. This may be done when a company increases its capital by using some of its profits for this purpose and feels that the previously issued stock capital does not give an accurate picture of the amount of capital actually employed by the corporation.

See Social Dimensions of Adjustment Project Facility.

A fiber-optic transmission system for high-speed digital traffic. Employed by telephone companies and common carriers, speeds range from 51 Mbps to 40 Gbps. An international digital telecommunications network hierarchy which standardises transmission around the bit rate of 51.84 megabits per second.

SDRs are international reserve assets created by international Monetary Fund to supplement other reserve assets that periodically have been allocated to IMF members in proportion to their respective quotas. SDRs are not considered liabilities of the Fund, and IMF members to whom SDRs are allocated do not incur actual (unconditional) liabilities to repay SDR allocations. The fund determines the value of SDRs daily by summing, in USA dollars, the values of a weighted basket of currencies. The weight and baskets are subject to revision from time to time. SDRs can be used to acquire other member’s currencies (foreign exchange), to settle financial obligations, and to extend loans

SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) are international reserve assets created by the International Monetary Fund and allocated to its members to supplement existing reserve assets

Vessel designed as non self-propelled unit for the carriage of goods by sea in holds, in tanks or on a weather deck space only.

Ship designed for the towing and/or pushing of ships or other floating structures.

Floating marine structure with one or more surface displacement hulls.

Sea going which is registered at a given date in a country other than the reporting country.

Sea going vessel which is registered at a given date in the reporting country.

Sea traffic from a specified point of origin to a specified point of destination.

Any person who makes a voyage on a seagoing vessel. Service staff assigned to seagoing vessels are not regarded as passengers.

A passenger disembarking from a merchant ship at the end of the sea journey.
Note: A transfer from one merchant ship to another is regarded as disembarkation before re-embarkation. Cruise passengers on a cruise excursion are excluded.

A passenger who boards a merchant ship to undertake a sea journey.
Note: A transfer from one merchant ship to another is regarded as embarkation after disembarkation. Cruise passengers on a cruise excursion are excluded.