Nineteen years ago, the JIIS initiated the Jerusalem database, an ambitious undertaking which, for the first time, created a comprehensive statistical infrastructure for the city. Operated in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality, the JIIS database is widely recognized as the most updated, objective and reliable source of information on Jerusalem.

 

The statistics are published every year in the Jerusalem Statistical Yearbook, whose annual appearance is marked by a press conference covered by local and international journalists. Regardless of simultaneous news events, the Yearbook’s findings receive extensive media coverage.

 

The Yearbook is considered a model for urban statistical management and usage of data. It is quoted as an impeccable source by Israeli politicians, researchers and the media, as well as users in the Arab world. Naturally, the chapters dealing with population, immigration and socio-economic trends are the most popular and most often quoted.

 

The National Bureau of Statistics and municipal agencies are the main sources of information for the Yearbook’s more than 200 tables and charts, but the JIIS’ own research projects add new data and insight which cannot be found anywhere else. We invest the greatest effort in verifying the accuracy of the information. Since 2002, the data has been posted on the Internet as it is collected and verified.

 

Currently, the Yearbook’s main users are policy makers, journalists, university students, Israeli missions abroad and individual researchers. In municipal and governmental offices dealing with Jerusalem affairs, the Yearbook is considered an essential tool and can be found on every desk. Many ideas have been proposed for broadening usage of the Yearbook, but implementing them would entail funding which is not immediately available.

 

The Yearbook has generated a number of essential by-products such as:

 

Jerusalem Facts and Trends – This publication by the Yearbook’s chief editor, Dr. Maya Choshen, analyzes the previous year’s trends. Its main findings, graphs and maps are posted on the JIIS web site and frequently visited by users around the world.

 

Two bi-weekly columns in the Kol-Ha’ir an "In-Jerusalem" newspapers highlighting various topics covered by the Yearbook. Each column presents data from the Yearbook plus additional sources of explanation and analysis. Many JIIS researchers contribute to the column, which was initiated by Dr. Maya Choshen.