5. Methodological note
The methodology of the DESI 2020 (Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2020. Methodological note) does not present major changes with respect to DESI 2019. In terms of the number of indicators, they have gone from forty-three to thirty-seven: on the one hand, eight have been removed from 2019, and on the other hand, one has been added back to the Connectivity dimension (1b2. Fixed Very High Capacity Network (VHCN) coverage).
It is precisely in this first dimension that the most changes have been made. They have removed the indicators of fixed broadband coverage, implementation of fast broadband and ultra-fast broadband coverage. The remaining indicators have been maintained, albeit with different nomenclature.
Regarding how indicators were obtained, some of those related to take-up (At least 100 Mbps fixed broadband take-up (1a2) and of Mobile broadband takeup (1c2)) come from the National Markets Commission and Competition (CNMC by its Spanish initials) and have been partially estimated from data from Spain. Specifically, in the case of indicator 1a2, the percentage has been estimated lines in households and lines of at least 100 Mbps over the total lines; and the prepaid data for 1c2, all of them referring to the year 2019. In addition, coverage data has been provided by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures (SETID by its Spanish initials) for the year 2019. Finally, there are two indicators whose values are the same as Spain: 5G readiness (1c3) (given that the tenders are performed at the state level) and Broadband price index (1d1) (has not been possible to obtain sufficient methodological information to calculate the indicator at the level of Catalonia, which has changed compared to last year).
In dimension 2, Human Capital, there has been no change. The indicators of the first sub-dimension, Internet user skills, come from the Survey on Equipment and Use of Information Technologies and the communication in households (INE, data 2019), the methodology of which continues to be based on Digital Skills Indicator - derived from Eurostat survey on ICT usage by Individuals. Methodological note., 2015. Regarding the second subdimension, Advanced skills and development, for the calculation of ICT specialists (2b1) and Female ICT specialists (2b2), Idescat has provided data on the employed population, based on survey data from the active population from the National Institute of Statistics (INE by its Spanish initials), corresponding to the following classification codes CNO-2011: 132 (Directors of information technology services and communication (ICT) and professional service companies), 244 (Electrical Engineers, electronics and telecommunications), 247 (Technical engineers in electricity, electronics and telecommunications), 27 (Professionals of information technology, 38 (Information technology technicians and communication (ICT)), and 753 (Equipment repair installers and maintainers of electronics and telecommunications).
As for the ICT Graduates indicator (2b3), the data come from of the Statistics of the studies of the population from Idescat (Course 2018-2019, provisional data). Graduates, masters and doctorates are taken into account university as well as vocational training in the specific ICT categories of the following areas: Audiovisual techniques and multimedia production (0211), Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) (06) and Electronics and automation (0714). For the categories: Electricity and energy (0713), Mechanics and professions similar to metalwork (0715) and Engineering and similar professions (0719), estimates have had to be made based on coefficients from the Basque Country) since not the whole category corresponds specifically in ICT. The categories considered as ICT are based on Eurostat’s Fields of Training manual.
In dimension 3, Use of Internet Services, two indicators have been removed from the subdimension Online activities (3b): Professional social networks as well as Consultations and online voting. All data of this dimension comes from Idescat, from the Survey on equipment and use of information technologies and the communication in households INE.
Regarding dimension 4, Integration of Digital Technology, no changes have been made with respect to 2019. The data also comes from Idescat, based on the Use Survey of information and communication technologies and ecommerce in companies INE. Regarding Business digitisation subdimension (4th) corresponds to 2019, while the e-Commerce sub-dimension (4b) corresponds to 2018.
Finally, in dimension 5, Digital Public Services, the sub-dimension 5b and the three corresponding eHealth indicators were eliminated. The data for indicator 5a1, e-Government users, come from Idescat, from the Survey on equipment and use of information technologies and communication in INE homes. Indicators Pre-filled forms (5a2), Online services completion (5a3) and Digital public services for companies (5a4) are based on the methodology collected in the eGovernment Benchmark 2020 and in the Framework 2012-2019 of the European Commission. According to this methodology, questionnaires have been developed and answered by the Barcelona City Councils, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Terrassa, Lleida, Tàrrega, Girona, Tarragona and Reus, as well as by various departments of the Generalitat de Catalunya, depending on their respective area of responsibility. The Open data indicator (5a5) was obtained using the questionnaire collected in the European Data Portal, and has been complemented by the Management General of Transparency and Open Data.
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“Fields of Training – Manual”, Eurostat (1999).