“Statistics meansnever having to say

you are certain”’

Working with Remote Numbers

E. Hamilton Atlantic DLI Training

February 28, 2003

How do I find the numbers I need?

I. Define your topic

II. Identify your unit of analysis and constraints

III. Check for articles to see what files have been used & concept definitions [*literature search*]

How do I find data files?

IV. Who is likely to have been interested in collecting this?

V. Use the tools! [Guides, databases, documentation, and search engines]

VI. Check Data Services home page for your library

Stats Canada: How do I find…

Discrete Statistics:

www.statcan.ca

Public Use Microdata Files

•STC Online catalogue•DLI home page•IDLS, LANDRU, etc.

Time series data:

CANSIM II

•STC•E-STAT•CHASS

Census 1996 & 2001

•STC•E-STAT•UAlberta

Census 2001

Option 1: Use Census link on STC page

Option 2: Use Census link on E-STAT

Option 3: Use detailed tables on University of Alberta site (coming soon)

www.statcan.ca

Census!

Catalogue

Census 2001: STC

Some of our favourite bits!

Census 2001: STC

The power of topic based searching!

Yum!

Census 2001: STC

Search by census variable or place name

To get geography-based tables, beyond the standard profiles…

Census 2001: STCIt’s a browse list really…but it works!

Census 2001: E-STAT

Census 2001: E-STAT

Surfing through IDLS

And Vince sends Greetings!

IDLS variable description search…

IDLS Advanced Searching

Variable Description search results

Variable level metadata

Time Series: CANSIM II

Three options:

• STC web site

• CHASS

• E-STAT

Which do I use???

Time Series: CANSIM II

•Multi-dimensional (relational database)

•Organized into tables (themes)

•Deliver by vectors (time series) or table subsets

Accessed by keyword search, broad subject, or by table/vector number

  

CANSIM II COST UPDATED TABLES & TIME SERIES

OUTPUT OPTIONS

COMMENTS

Statistics Canada Web

$$$ Updated 23 Jan. 2003

1,690 tables13,200,293 vectors 

Multiple For commercial use; no data without dollars; good for finding out how many vectors exist

CANSIM II via E-STAT

No fee for on-site

use

Updated June 2002

1,600 tables>10 million vectors

Table options :Bar graphPie chartHtml tableCsvPrnSk1Databeacon cubeB2020

Shows multi-dimensionality; limit to 1000 series at a time

CANSIM II via CHASS (UT)

No fee for UNB

Libraries faculty

and students

Updated 21 January 2003

1,690 tables13,200,293 vectors

Time series optionsPlainSpreadsheetCSVSASShazamSPSSRATSTSPTSPterse

Up to date time series focus; multidimensionality more difficult to see; more difficult to extract large numbers of series

 

CANSIM II: Comparative Flavours

CANSIM II: E-STAT

Subject approach

CANSIM II: E-STAT

CANSIM II: E-STAT

CANSIM II: E-STAT

CANSIM II: E-STAT

CANSIM II: E-STAT

CANSIM II: E-STAT

Use drop-down menu to get all variables

The new Data Beacon

CANSIM II: E-STAT

(Expenditure automobile repair)

CANSIM II: CHASS

CANSIM II: CHASS