INTERNATIONAL BLAISE USER GROUP an independent organization open to all Blaise users from around the world


IBUG - International Blaise Users Group

The International Blaise User Group (IBUG) is an informal group that brings together people and organisations who use Blaise® in survey data collection and data processing. The purpose of the IBUG is to promote the use of Blaise and to serve as a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas and experiences. As an informal group, the IBUG has a chairman but no other officials. The IBUG was founded at the first International Blaise User Conference (IBUC) in 1992, where Tony Manners (ONS, UK) was selected as the first chairman. The second chairman was Vesa Kuusela of Statistics Finland (2001-2009). The third one was Hilde Degerdal of Statistics Norway (2009-2016). The current person chairing the group is Gina Cheung of University of Michigan, SRC.

The most visible activity of the IBUG is a conference organised roughly every 18 months. Research organisations using Blaise host these International Blaise User Conferences (IBUC). The first IBUC was in Voorburg, Netherlands in 1992. The next IBUC will be the 20th and will be hosted by RTI International, a research institute from the US. It will take place in October in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Registration and further details are available on ibuc2023.com.


From left to right: Jelke Bethlehem, Kevin Sweeney, Lon Hofman, Mark Pierzchala, Leif Bochis Madsen, Peter Stegehuis and Sven Sjodin. They all attended the first IBUC in 1992 as well as the 17th one in 2016 where this picture was taken.