Post on 27-Mar-2015
Atle Alvheim
Luxembourg 26 - 27 October 2006
Assistant Director Norwegian Social Science Data Services
Assessing the feasibility of
micro-data access
Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD)
www.nsd.uib.no
nsd@nsd.uib.no
There is a lack of “Tools for thought”
time spent on digesting and thinking
time spent on finding and accessing )(Maximize
”Much more time went into finding or obtaining information than into digesting it” Dr. J.C.R. Licklider
Only a fraction of data resources available on line
Lack of standardization Poor integration
between data and metadata
Institutional, legal, and commercial obstacles
All empirical data available on-line
An integrated gateway to be used to integrate and locate relevant resources
The ability to browse, visualize, and analyze data on-line
Hyperlinks from data to relevant scientific publications and resources
Empirical feedback system to build the collective memory of a data collection
Situation to-daySituation to-day Situation tomorrow?Situation tomorrow?
What are we looking for?
Data
Metadata Tools
DataSharing
Why are metadata important?
Unlabeled stuff Labeled stuff
The bean example is taken from: A Manager’sIntroduction to Adobe eXtensible Metadata Platform, http://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/pdfs/whitepaper.pdf
The functions of metadata
Finding
Understanding Assessing
Sharing
An international XML-based standard for the content, presentation, transport, and preservation of documentation
Benefits of the DDI Approach
Interoperability
Richer content
Single document - multiple purposes
On-line subsetting and analysis
Precision in searching
Codebooks can be exchanged and transported seamlessly, and applications can be written to work with these homogeneous documents.Providing the data
analyst with broader knowledge about a given collection.
The codebook contains all of the information necessary to produce several different types of output.DDI documents are
easily imported into on-line analysis systems, rendering datasets more readily usable for a wider audience.
Field-specific searches across documents and studies are enabled.
Data Documentation Initiative (DDI)
A life-cycle model of data
Study Concept
DataCollection
DataProcessing
DataDistribution
DataDiscovery
DataAnalysis
DataArchiving
Repurposing
Combined life cycle model
A common European data portal
• Metadata is all about communication• Madiera: A set of tools, + an idea:
Data is a kernel that facilitates a ”discussion” • Maybe future libraries consist of datasets with
linked or derived knowledge-products, books, papers, tables, etc, wikis
• Could we imagine libraries of hypoteses ?• Libraries of questions and discussions more
than of answers ?
What was the specified MADIERA Objectives ?
• The development of an integrated and effective distributed social science portal to facilitate access to a range of data archives and disparate resources. WP3
• The development of specific add-ons to existing virtual data library technologies, in particular data location technology WP4
• The employment of a multi-lingual thesaurus to break the language barriers to the discovery of key resources. WP5
• An extensive programme to add content, both at the data/information and knowledge levels. WP6
• Extensive training of data providers and users to encourage the continuos growth of the infrastructure WP7
A Web of the Social Sciences
• Building on a distributed model where data and resources are stored and maintained locally
• For the end user the system will appear as a integrated system
• A virtual data library offering global access to locally supported data holdings
End users
Data providers
What is then necessary to develop useful procedures ?
• Metadata standards lift data from digits to research information
• Technical solutions, software: Information- and access systems, in addition to analysis and download possibilities
• Political agreements, conditions for data access• Economic agreements, logging, audits
EXAMPLE A common resourceEXAMPLE A common resource
European Social Survey (ESS)
europeansocialsurvey.org
ess.nsd.uib.no
An academically driven social survey designed to chart and explain the interaction between Europe's changing institutions and the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns of its diverse populations.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE: Aggregate dataANOTHER EXAMPLE: Aggregate data
The determinants of active civic participationat European and national level (CIVICACTIVE)
nsd.uib.no/civicactive
A third example: a common entry-pointA third example: a common entry-point
madiera.net
The MADIERA project has developed an effective infrastructure for the European social science community by integrating data with other tools, resources and products of the research process.
A schemeA Finnish
researcher
Attitudes towards Immigrants
(A problem area)
An Irishresearcher
Data on Finland (A geographic area)
A Swissresearcher
Eurobarometer (A data collection)
• A registration procedure, register with home archive
• Look up and access data across holdings
A ”Data-archive Political Context” for 20+ national archives
I. It might be money involved Is the data a free or commercial good ? There are categories of users,
what about non-academic use, non-CESSDA use ? Who are to fix the prices ?
II. Varying Access rules. The crossing of national borders What laws apply. Who set the rules Who is responsible ? What sanctions available ?
III. There are some “Common good” data Eurobarometers, Value studies, ISSP, ESS, Comparative
collections Could best be provided from one single point (?) Charging ? Access Conditions ? Double Storage ?
IV. It is a good thing to have national archives, enhances amount of data available and betters the accessibility. Need justification and visibility
All use the ”NESSTAR Publisher” / DDI
ELSST
Madiera: A common portal for all of Europe, ++
Portal
NSD
SSD
FSD
ZA
DDA
UKDA
DANS
Functionality:
Link many local serversSearch and browse possibilities__________________
Standardised software and standardised documentation Translation possibilities
Politics: Coordinated access rulesPoliticsMoney