Working Party on the Application of New Technology to Population Data
Second Meeting
1-3 April 1998
Singapore

1. The Electronic Transfer of Returns (ETR) system is a major initiative undertaken by the Singapore Department of Statistics to provide better services to the public. The ETR system makes it easier for businesses to submit statistical returns through Internet. The Department's Business Expectations Survey (BES) is the first statistical survey to be conducted by ETR.

2. The BES has been conducted since 1975 to provide quick assessment of the business outlook of firms in the short term. Such information is used extensively by policy planners and the business community. The survey is carried out quarterly and covers about 1,250 establishments engaged in commerce and services.
3. To cater to the different nature of the various sectors covered in the survey, four different types of questionnaires are presently used, namely for Commerce, Wholesale Trade, Financial Services and the Services Sector.

4. The BES has primarily been conducted by the conventional method of sending hardcopy questionnaires to respondents who will then mail or fax their returns to the Department. Respondents have to deal with the tedious paperwork and the manual tasks of mailing or faxing their survey forms every quarter. With the rapid advancement in IT and increasing popularity of Internet usage by organizations, the ETR system was developed with support from the National Computer Board (NCB). It is the first Internet application for statistical data collection in Singapore as well as the Asian region. With this system, the completion and submission of the survey form is done entirely online.

5. To use the ETR system, the following hardware and software are recommended:

• Pentium PC, 133MHz
• 32MB RAM and above
• At least 5MB free space on the hard disk
• 33.6kbps modem with connection to one of the local Internet service providers ISP)

• Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 3.0 and above) or
• Netscape Navigator (version 3.x and above)
• Internet access

6. The configuration of the ETR system is as shown in Figure 1.

7. ETR users can access the online survey form from the Statistics Singapore Home Page at http://www.singstat.gov.sg. Upon authentication of the user, the survey form is shown on the computer screen. The user then fills in the survey form online. After he has completed the survey form, he submits his survey return via Internet by clicking on a button. The survey data are transmitted to the NCB Web server, extracted into a flat file and then uploaded into the current BES mainframe database.

8. To ensure confidentiality of the completed form submitted by respondents via the Internet, the ETR was developed using an advanced encryption technology. This involves authentication of both the senders as well as recipients of the survey form and the encryption of the data. To use the ETR, respondents are required to use Netrust Digital Certificates (issued by Netrust Pte Ltd) and install a software known as National Computer System (NCS) WebTop Client Proxy.
9. The Netrust Digital Certificate is the electronic counterpart to the user's identification document. The Digital Certificate serves to prove the user's identity and his right to access the online survey form as well as prevents unauthorised personnel from using phony keys to impersonate as an ETR user.
10. The purpose of the NCS WebTop Client Proxy is to create a secure environment for transmitting information online. The survey information is encrypted using one of the most complicated encryption algorithm currently available (which features a 128-bits RSA, triple DES encryption algorithm). The information is then sent through a secure channel using the NCS WebTop security solution.
11. With the use of Digital Certificates and NCS WebTop Client Proxy software, the following are ensured during the transmission of confidential survey data over the Internet:

1. Authentication of sender and receiver of information
   The Digital Certificate ensures that the ETR user and the Web server are who they say they are. It protects the user by ensuring that he is accessing a genuine Web server.
2. Data integrity
   If there is any attempt to alter any information during the transmission, the recipient of the information will be alerted.
3. Confidentiality of information exchanged
   The information exchanged is made private and confidential by applying the advanced encryption algorithm.
4. Non-repudiation
   Non-repudiation is achieved by verifying the digital signature of the user (in the form of Netrust Digital Certificates).

For ETR users' convenience, the Netrust Certificate Generator and NCS WebTop Client Proxy software are both available for downloading at the Statistics Singapore Home Page.

12. The online survey form is designed to be interactive and helpful to users. Some of the features are listed below:
    1. Save as draft function
       This is a very useful feature for users who are unable to complete the survey form during a single log-in. Clicking on the "Save as draft" button automatically saves the input. When the user logs-in again some later time, he can complete form without having to re-enter his previous input.
    2. Validation checks
       Users who key in their total figures eg relating to operating expenses, are prompted with a message if their total numeric input does not tally with the calculated total.
    3. Other checks
       Users who attempt to submit an incomplete survey form would be reminded with an error message.
    4. Displayed information
       Some fields in the survey form, eg company name and address, are pre-filled for users. They are only required to update the information where necessary.

13. The ETR system was launched in early March 1998 for the 2nd Quarter 1998 BES. To ensure smooth implementation of the ETR System, seminars were organised for senior personnel of companies and businesses covered in the BES.

14. The ETR System provides a quick and convenient channel for BES respondents to submit their survey forms via the net. They no longer need to deal with the hassle of filling in paper questionnaires and then mailing or faxing them back to the Department. With the electronic system, they save time and effort.

15. For the Department, the ETR reduces manpower effort on data-entry and data-editing. The survey data are transmitted straight into the present database without the need for data-entry. As the online survey form has built-in validation checks, it reduces effort needed to check for incomplete forms and then calling up respondents to obtain the required data.

16. The ETR helps to expedite survey operations and the compilation of data. The Department is, hence, able to disseminate the statistical information to other organisations and the public within a shorter period of time.

17. Following the successful implementation of ETR for BES, the Department intends to develop other Internet applications for the submission of data for the Census of Population 2000 and other statistical surveys. This is expected to improve our statistical services and operations.