The NES data collection process is as follows each year:

• Each National Team identifies 36 potential experts

• The Team completes the NES Request For Proposal document and sends the provisional list of experts to the GEM Data Team for approval

• Once approval is received, the Team contacts experts to obtain their agreement to participate

• The NES questionnaire is distributed to the experts

• Data is collected and sent to the GEM Data Team for harmonization

• Once data is received from every National Team, master data files are provided
  

The GEM Data Team holds training sessions for the National Teams at each Annual Meeting on how to conduct the NES, and provides them with the uniform questionnaire for the year, operations manuals, and SPSS files for data input.

Teams translate the questionnaire into their local languages with checks and balances to ensure that there is a correct translation and that each National Team is asking the same questions. The original questionnaire is provided in English and Spanish, as are all the supporting NES documents. The on-line version is based on the existing translations of the questionnaire in all participating languages.

The NES Coordinator ensures that these procedures are followed by all the participating teams, and also:

• Receives, reviews and centralizes all the NES data from national, regional or city files

• Conducts quality controls

• Calculates the principal components that summarize the blocks of questions in new variables that can be used in different ways to conduct research and to assess the state of the EFCs

• Constructs the individual and national level NES files

• Writes and updates the documents and manuals necessary for the implementation of the NES survey 

• Trains and assists teams during the cycle