1. What is Administrative Data?
Dr Alasdair Rutherford
University of Stirling
Firstly we need to think about what we mean by big data. It’s a popular term, widely used in the media, but it can mean different things to different people. There’s no one agreed-upon definition, so I’m going to talk about some of the characteristics of big data and what they mean.

2. Administrative Data
Administrative data are originally collected to organise, manage, deliver or monitor services.
Not collected for research purposes, but instead in the routine operation of an organisation.
Drawn from databases, computer systems, records.
Could be data about people, services, other organisations, processes or the activities of the organisation.

3. Admin Data and Social Research
Increasing access to administrative data:
Health records
Education records
Income and pension records
Organisational data
Internal data on service-users
Historically little access to admin data – exception being register data in Nordic countries.
The opening up of a range of public sector administrative data has focussed resources on preparing, linking and analysing administrative data.

4. Admin Data and Social Research
Potential to link data for social research:
Link administrative datasets together e.g. health and social care;
Link administrative data to social survey data e.g. charity data and volunteering;
Link service-user data to administrative data to measure outcomes

5. Challenges working with Admin Data
The data has not been collected for research purposes Access and use Making the link
Databases have not been designed with research or the researcher in mind. Fields may be unused, coding may be inconsistent, the data may not be well documented, the criteria for inclusion/exclusion from the dataset might not be clear. Definitions may have changed over time, and particular variables come into and out of use as required. The structure of the data may have changed as the organisation developed.
If you want to use another organisation’s data then you need permission. Depending on the data source, and its sensitivity, this may be straightforward or it may be time consuming, For example, applications to link to individual health records require significant oversight and scrutiny before being approved.
If the admin data is your own that’s easier; but you need to ensure that you have the right to process the data for analysis.
One of the powerful potential uses of administrative data is data linkage; combining data from different sources together. If there is no individual level ID numbers then accurate linkage requires significant individual information such as names, addresses and dates of birth, and you won’t always have access to that level of personal information in all the datasets you plan to combine. You also need to consider the ethical and privacy issues of combining data that has not been collected for research purposes.

6. Developments in Admin Data
ESRC Big Data Network
Phase One: Administrative Data Research Network
Phase Two: Business and Local Authority Data Centre
Phase Three: Civil Society Data Partnerships
There have been several large developments to support and encourage the use of administrative data for research purposes. These have been supported by the increased desire of data holders to make more of their data and to facilitate access for researchers.
Urban Big Data Glasgow

7. The ADRN (ADRC) @ Edinburgh Safe Haven, support access requests; capacity building

8. The UBDC’s mission is to support research for improved understanding of urban challenges and to provide data, technology and services to manage, make policy, and innovate in cities.
As one of three major centres in the UK Economic and Social Research Council’s Big Data Network on Local Government and Business Data, the UBDC encourages new thinking on ways in which urban big data can lead to transformative understanding and solutions to problems facing urban areas.
UBDC believes in collaboration, partnerships and mutual engagement with a wide range of stakeholders: academics, public, private and non-profit analysts, “civic hackers” and citizen-scientists.
If you are an urban social science researcher and are looking for ways to explore how our data services and products may be of use to you, you may be interested in the Research services section of our website.

10. What is Administrative Data?
Dr Alasdair Rutherford
University of Stirling
Firstly we need to think about what we mean by big data. It’s a popular term, widely used in the media, but it can mean different things to different people. There’s no one agreed-upon definition, so I’m going to talk about some of the characteristics of big data and what they mean.