FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q. How can I access the areppim site from my mobile phone or PDA?

A. Browsing with a mobile device is similar to browsing the Internet with a PC. You must perform the following steps to access the areppim site from your mobile phone or a PDA:

Configure your device to access the mobile Internet. In principle, this step is performed only once -- see more details under "How do I configure my mobile device?"
Activate your mobile Internet configuration. In principle, this step is performed only once -- see more details under "How do I configure my mobile device?"
Whenever you feel like it, launch your mobile browser and access the areppim site optimized for mobile phones at mobile.areppim.com . If your mobile browser is powerful enough, you may also access the site stats.areppim.com which is intended for PC.

Please refer to the user manual of your mobile device for more information about using its mobile browser.

Q. How do I configure my mobile device?

A. Your mobile device stores a series of parameters that determine how it establishes communications on the Internet: what Internet account name and password to use, which communication mode and speed to rely upon, etc. You must specify these parameters and then activate the resulting configuration to access the Internet. There are three possibilities:

If you obtained your phone from your operator or bundled with a price plan, the device should already be pre-configured. Refer to your phone manual or call your operator to know how to find and activate the configuration, and then launch the mobile browser.
In most other cases, the phone can be automatically configured with an SMS sent by your operator. Call your operator to receive the SMS with the appropriate parameters. Many operators have a WWW site where you can request the SMS yourself by entering your phone number. Upon reception of the SMS, accept the new configuration, then activate it and launch the browser. Some phone manufacturers have an interactive WWW-site that provides the same functionality:
- Motorola
- Nokia (select your country or region, services, then set-up the on-line configuration).
- SonyEricsson
It is also possible to configure your phone manually. You must enter all relevant parameters (network address, username, password, etc), which depend on your operator. Many operators publish this information on their WWW-site; alternatively, call your operator to request this information. The way the information is entered varies amongst phone models; refer to your phone manual for detailed information about the corresponding menus.

Q. The site does not work. What can I do?

A. If you have encountered problems with the areppim site, such as:

information displayed is demonstrably incorrect;
the site seems to be inaccessible;
the pages on your mobile phone appear garbled;

Please send an e-mail to support@areppim.com with a precise description of the problem. Include the exact URL you have been accessing when the problem occurred, a transcript of the error message (if any), and a description of your environment (browser name and version; for PC: operating system; for mobile phone or PDA: device manufacturer and model).

Q. May I select the variables of the chart to fit my personal needs?

A. Whenever feasible, we provide menus that allow you to select the variables corresponding to the axes of the graphs & charts. For instance,

if you want to compare the evolution of Gross Domestic Product and Total Exports for a specific country, or Total Exports and Military Expenditures, you can;
if you want to compare countries by plotting their Gross Domestic Product against their Prison Population, or their Prison Population against Education Expenditures, you can.

In general however, you cannot freely choose the axes, because:

such combinations are not always meaningful;
variables may be expressed in completely different units, and can therefore not be plotted directly on the same chart;
many relevant variables do not exist as such, but are actually derived from basic data through mathematical operations;
graphs & charts must be fine-tuned to represent variables of widely different magnitudes.

Hence, setting up a graph entails much more than just choosing the variables to be represented. Complete freedom in selecting charts would require a complex interface (in fact, a tool for constructing graphs & charts). We provide you instead with a simple interface to derive the essential graphs & charts of interest to you -- and which you can also easily use with a mobile phone.

Q. Why can't I choose my own chart type?

A. For reasons very similar to the ones listed in "May I select the variables of the chart to fit my personal needs?" Charts have a number of characteristics that must be specified (variable types and values, axis types, names and ticks, additional graphical elements, etc) and fine-tuned for an acceptable representation on mobile phones. Besides, the graphs & charts are accompanied by additional textual and numerical information (data tables, explanations, statistical analyses) that must also be prepared -- and this in several languages. All this must be done in a consistent way and the information must be properly validated; there is no easy way to allow every user to specify graphs & charts and get an adequate result. Our interface pre-defines suitable chart types and thus allows you to product relevant graphs & charts with a minimum of manipulations.

Q. How truthful is the information displayed in the areppim site?

A. The trustworthiness of information at areppim is ensured in a number of ways.

Besides the data sets we have developed ourselves, we rely upon reputable external sources, such as national statistics bureaus, international agencies (UNO, WHO, etc), and professional organizations. Whenever relevant, sources are mentioned at the bottom of pages, after graphs & charts and accompanying explanations. Otherwise, you can find them in the References page at stats.areppim.com.
We use tested and tried forms of charts, without any visual gimmicks that could distort the interpretation of information or obscure important aspects.
As much as possible, we list the values that are represented in the graphs & charts. Additional evaluations are based on well-established statistical techniques. All these constitute a help for interpretation and can serve to check the validity of the graphs & charts as well.

If you find small discrepancies between the information in the areppim site and other sources, they are most probably caused by differences in the accuracy or in the definition itself of the data in question. For instance, different agencies may compute different estimates of a country population. On the other hand, there should be no variation at all on how many goals have been scored during matches in the FIFA World Cup!

Q. I have this data set that would make for great charts. How can I upload the areppim site with my data?

A. At this point, you cannot. Introducing a new data set requires:

validating the data and clearing up issues related to rights of use,
integrating it into the areppim data base in a compatible format, possibly merging it with existing data,
defining the relevant charts for it.

This means that only original data sets of high quality and general interest, and with clearly defined legal status find their way into areppim. If you have compiled such a data set, you may get in touch with us to discuss its inclusion in the areppim site.

Q. How do I make suggestions?

A. Send an e-mail to info@areppim.com. Be concrete and specific. We are aware there are plenty of improvements to make to the areppim site, and are constantly working on them; as always, we do our best, but we cannot do everything.

A. We do not yet have a service like a RSS feed in place. We are considering implementing a mechanism that will enable our users to receive information of interest in a timely manner. Check the site stats.areppim.com from time to time; we shall announce new features and information delivery options whenever they become available.

Q. I would like to have my products or services advertised on areppim. What should I do?

A. You may advertise on the stats.areppim.com or on the mobile-optimised mobile.areppim.com site. Both sites have space for banners and URL. The mobile-orientated site also provides the possibility for click-to-call ads. Contact info@areppim.com for technical details, rates, ad timing, and the publishing process.

Q. Are there any restrictions on the utilization of the graphs & charts from the areppim site?

A. All information and pages in our site are covered by copyright and trademarks. Following uses are, among others, forbidden :

Extracting information from the areppim site and presenting it as your own production.
Scavenging the site to feed another site that presents the same or modified information.
Re-distributing information from our site without our approval.
Using or defacing the areppim logo.
Defacing the sites stats.areppim.com or mobile.areppim.com.

Depending on your country, copyright allows various forms of fair use, In particular, you may make citations, that is, include limited, partial information from our site -- for instance in an article reviewing stats.areppim.com or mobile.areppim.com. In case of doubt, please contact us to clear up issues regarding rights of use.