1. “Data from national surveys: access, analysis, and sharing”
Professor Anthony C. Masi
Provost
Professor of Sociology
McGill University
16 May 2007

2. Three perspectives on these issues and questions
Researcher
Teacher
Administrator
16 May 2007

3. Trained as a social demographer, so data sets are important
Censuses
Labour force surveys
Social survey
Special surveys:
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices
World Fertility Survey
National Demographic Surveys
National Election Surveys
16 May 2007

4. Trained as a social demographer, so computers are important
IBM punch cards and card sorter
various models of mainframe and mini-computers
stand-alone personal computers
networked personal computers
various configurations of file servers with mass storage devices
16 May 2007

5. Trained as a social demographer, statistical programs are important
Fortran
SPSS and SAS for the mainframe
Minitab, Gauss, STATA, S-plus, R-plus
spreadsheets
other specialised programs
16 May 2007

6. Trained as a social demographer, so I need (and expect to get) great assistance regarding
Data sets: How does one get the kind of data that can be turned into useful information to advance knowledge?
Computers: Are there certain machines and/or configurations that best serve the needs of social scientists and data analysts?
Application programs: What statistical software can be employed most efficiently to answer significant questions about the available data?
16 May 2007

7. Researcher Experiences with data sets from four countries: U.S.A.
Italy
Canada
Sweden
16 May 2007

8. United States of America
Census data
Public use samples
Current population survey
General Social Survey
Special surveys
16 May 2007

9. Italy Census data Labour force survey General social survey
Special surveys
European family panel data
(Research Fellow at ISTAT)
16 May 2007

10. Canada Census data CANSIM Labour force survey General social survey
Special surveys (StatCan with SCB)
(member of the National Statistics Council)
16 May 2007

11. Sweden Labour force survey Special survey (SCB with StatCan)
16 May 2007

12. By comparison
Canada has the pick of the litter of this subset of world class statistical agencies:
survey and sampling methodologies
efficient data collection
good analytics and partnerships with academia
learning that access and confidentiality can go together
16 May 2007

13. Teacher: from concepts to operationalisation
learning objectives
appropriate tools
16 May 2007

14. Learning objectives informed consumers capable producers
critical analysts
know the difference between education and training
16 May 2007

15. Appropriate tools classroom and computer laboratory structures
social statistics lab, faculty computer facilities, electronic data resource services
software tools
local, networked, server-based applications and appropriate site-licensing arrangements
the right stuff: data on demand
campus-based research data centre
16 May 2007

16. Administrator support alliances data issues training models
16 May 2007

17. Support the right initiatives at the right time
with the right level of resources
delivery of data services
16 May 2007

18. Alliances funding agencies statistical agencies
universities and research institutes
16 May 2007

19. Data issues infrastructure requirements repositories
storing and preserving data
data preservation and distribution
privacy, confidentiality, anonymity
access
complex survey designs and statistical analysis
16 May 2007

20. Training and support: professional best practices
libraries and librarians
data liberation initiative
special purpose centres
social statistics labs and RDCs
special courses and instruction
summer data and statistics programs
on-line: any time, any where, any device
CANSIM
16 May 2007

21. Models sharing and distributing “middleware” for identity management
ICPSR example
public opinion data archives
institutional repositories
“middleware” for identity management
16 May 2007

22. Canada’s Research data centre (RDC) initiative (1)
promote and facilitate social science research
provide secured access to Statistics Canada confidential micro-data survey files
protect confidentiality of respondents
disseminate findings of research to the policy community and the public
costs and benefits balanced
SSHRCC, CIHR, CFI, STATCAN, universities
social research capacity
16 May 2007

23. Canada’s Research Data Centre (RDC) initiative: benefits (2)
generate a wide perspective on Canada’s social landscape
develop a network of research centres
build on the data liberation initiative and expand collaboration
train a new generation of Canadian data specialists
16 May 2007

24. Canada’s Research data centre (RDC) initiative: data sets (3)
Aboriginal people’s survey
Canadian community health survey
Ethnic diversity survey
General social survey
Longitudinal survey of immigrants to Canada
National graduates survey
16 May 2007

25. Canada’s Research data centre (RDC) initiative: data sets (4)
National longitudinal survey of children and youth
National population health survey
Participation and activity limitation survey
Survey of labour and income dynamics
Workplace and employee survey
Youth in transition survey
16 May 2007

26. The role of IASSIST (1) three communities advanced infrastructures
researchers
information specialists
computer experts
advanced infrastructures
knowledge transfer
16 May 2007

27. The role of IASSIST (2) education outreach advocacy
professional development opportunities
Initiatives
outreach
partnerships
advocacy
access to data
data documentation
digital preservation
16 May 2007

28. Discussion progress and challenges information overload
what we have and how it compares
data definitions
content searching
formats
archives
web-based initiatives
quality assurance issues and metrics
16 May 2007

29. Have a productive and fun conference. Enjoy McGill and Montreal.
Thank you.
Have a productive and fun conference.
Enjoy McGill and Montreal.
16 May 2007