A Blaise® licensee has two formal vehicles for interacting both with other Blaise users and with Statistics Netherlands. These include:
The International Blaise Users Group (IBUG) is an independent organization open to all Blaise users from around the world. The group maintains the International Blaise Users Group (IBUG)* website, publishes a periodic newsletter, and hosts a users' conference about every 18 months. At this three-day conference, Blaise users present papers and conduct sessions covering a wide range of issues. Blaise developers from Statistics Netherlands also present Blaise development plans, and users may provide suggestions or comments directly to the Blaise development team. IBUG publishes the conference proceedings.
Organizations who have purchased a corporate-level Blaise license are eligible to be a member of the Blaise Corporate License User Board (BCLUB). BCLUB members include large government statistical agencies in Europe, North America, Australia, Asia, as well as other research organizations. BCLUB meets annually to discuss usage and plans for Blaise as these relate to Statistics Netherlands' development plans and priorities.
Statistics Netherlands organizes and oversees the BCLUB and schedules meetings and conducts BCLUB communications with users.
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