Frequently asked questions

From publications that are already public: statistical agency releases and reference tables, ministry and municipal reporting, regulatory filings, and peer-reviewed research. We conduct no surveys of our own and we buy no proprietary datasets. Every figure carries a source line, and the full source register with eleven fields per source is described in the methodology.

Yes. Reproduce it with attribution to Whab and a link to the page it came from, provided you do not alter it in a way that changes what it says. Where a figure originated with a statistical agency, please credit that agency too. Underlying source material stays under whatever licence its original publisher applied. The terms of use set out the detail.

Every chart has a “Show data table” control that reveals the values behind it. For a full series across several years or geographies, write to the editorial desk and say which measure, which geography and which period you need.

Not at present. Machine access is the request we receive most often and the one we are most cautious about, because an API strips a figure from its definition and its caveats. If we build one it will return the caveats with the value.

It depends on the source. Seven indicators refresh monthly, eleven quarterly, fifteen annually, and three follow irregular survey cycles. Every panel states its cadence and the date of its last update, so you never have to guess how fresh a figure is.

Often both. The commonest causes are a different reference date, a different geographic boundary, a different definition of what counts, or a revision that one publisher has adopted and the other has not. Check the definition on the panel against the one in your other source; if they match and the figures still differ, please tell us, because one of us has made an error.

A revision is a change made by the original source, usually as late returns arrive or a model is re-estimated. A correction is a change we make because we got something wrong. Both are logged; only the second is an error on our part. The corrections policy explains how each is handled.

Please write to info@whab.digital with the page address and what you believe is incorrect. We acknowledge within two business days. Confirmed errors are corrected within five business days of confirmation, with the previous value and a plain description of what went wrong. If we cannot confirm the error we write back and explain why.

No. Every series ends at the last observed period. We publish no models, scenarios or projections, and a rising line here is not a prediction that it will keep rising.

No. Underlying measurement is rarely comparable enough to support an ordering, and a league table invites readers to treat small measurement differences as real differences. We publish values, and where a comparison is defensible we say what had to be standardised to make it so.

No. We describe what a measure shows and what it omits. Recommendations belong to people accountable for the consequences. Editors will, on background and at no charge, talk a journalist, councillor or researcher through what a measure can and cannot support.

Institutional memberships, two unrestricted multi-year foundation grants, and training fees. No funder reviews material before publication or commissions work in an area of direct interest. Sources above five per cent of annual revenue are named in the annual disclosure.

We build and test to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Every chart carries a text description, exposes its data as a keyboard-reachable table, and announces each data point with its series, category and value. Text can be enlarged to 200 per cent and a high-contrast mode is available from any page. Known limitations are listed openly in the accessibility statement.

No. Everything on this platform is free to read without an account, and we have no plans to change that. Membership funds the work rather than unlocking it.

Reports and methodology documents are published in English and French. Indicator panels are currently English with French definitions available on request; full bilingual panels are in progress.

Write to info@whab.digital or call +1 (613) 555-0142 and describe what you were trying to do. Barrier reports are triaged within five business days and the status of open findings is published in the accessibility statement.

Yes, and we reply to every suggestion including the ones we decline. A suggestion is most likely to be taken up if it names a specific measure, geography and period, and identifies at least one public source. Suggestions requiring original data collection are declined, since we do not run surveys.

Possibly. The threshold is documentation: we need a published collection method, a stable schema, and a change log or at least advance notice of schema changes. Roughly a third of proposed indicators fail internal review because the source cannot be documented well enough, and that is not a judgement on the data’s quality.

Yes, to public bodies, on data presentation and on accessible charting. Training fees are one of our funding sources and are disclosed as such. Training does not include help arguing for a position.