Poster Session

17 May 2007, Thursday
3:30pm-5:00pm
New Residence Hall

Access to Archival Databases (AAD)
Adams, Margaret
Michael Carlson

Demonstration of NARAs Access to Archival Databases (AAD) Resource. Peggy Adams will demonstrate an online search and retrieval utility, known as the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) resource. AAD offers public online search and retrieval access to specific records from a selection of NARAs archival databases, including electronic cable telegrams from the U.S. Department of State, 1973-75.  Currently access is to almost 100 million federal data records, in approximately 450 files, from close to 50 archival series. This demonstration provides an opportunity to share with IASSIST colleagues recent enhancements to online access tool.

 

POHTIVA - Finnish Party Manifesto Database
Alaterä, Tuomas J.

This poster will present Finnish Social Science Data Archive\'s Party Manifesto Database which brings together all Finnish political party manifestos and other texts since 1880\'s onto one web site. The web site functions as an open access information source and it provides information on political texts for the general public, researchers and students. Besides research use the text collection can be used as a qualitative data resource for teaching purposes in various academic fields.

 

Digital Overlay Services
Armbruster, Chris

Seamless online access to knowledge will be the future standard for science and innovation, higher education and knowledge-based industries. New legal and financial parameters of the market for scientific communication and data are already emerging. New mechanisms to secure and certify quality are being experimented with worldwide. Technology and economics favour the severance of certification (peer review) from distribution (electronic). Indeed, pioneer services such as ArXiV, RePEc and SSRN have demonstrated that electronic distribution and communication may be organised in a cost-efficient manner that is free to both authors and readers. Knowledge overlay services exist in a complementary relationship to the increasing salience of open content and open access in scientific publishing and data provision. These new digital overlay services encompass certification (as staged and possibly interactive peer review  improved quality), literature and data awareness services (for structured reading and usage  increased efficiency) and new software tools (e.g. for text mining  enhanced scope with structurally new ways of handling publications and data).

 

Transparent practices:  the use of open data in business ethics research
Bennett, Terrence
Nicholson, Shawn

In his 1998 article “The Use of Secondary Data in Business Ethics
Research”, Christopher Cowton aimed to “stimulate the interest of
business ethics researchers in using secondary data.”  Now, nearly nine
years later, we are interested in exploring the availability and use of
data (both primary and secondary) in the burgeoning field of business
ethics research.

In this poster session, we will present the results of our analysis of
an international sample of recent dissertations in the field of business
ethics.  Specifically, we will identify trends and patterns in the
availability and use of secondary data; track the creation and open
availability of primary data; and examine the subsequent re-use of
primary data.

In addition to presenting a graphical representation of the results of
our analysis, we will also explore the range of practices among
researchers within our sample in developing knowledge communities by
providing and promoting open data sources.

 

The Compleat DLI Survival Kit
Bergerson, Monia
Fry, Jane

There are over 70 Data Centres in Canada, spread out across the country. The staff who manage them have varying job descriptions: some look after the Data Centre part-time and wear at least one other hat; and others look after their Data Centre on a full-time basis. But one of the common challenges facing everyone is finding information about the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) at a moment’s notice. The Compleat DLI Survival Kit is designed to contain all the nuts and bolts of DLI from A to Z. The section titles are: About the DLI?; Administration; Resources; Data; Geography Files; Accessing and Citing DLI Data; The DLI Collection; and Technical Help.  This poster session will demonstrate the Compleat DLI Survival Kit so everyone will not only see how useful it is, but also how easy it is to navigate.

 

An Alcoholic, a Smoker, and a Blind Man Walk into a Bar:  The Integrated Health Interview Survey, a New Source of Integrated Health Information on the U.S. Population
Block, William

The Integrated Health Interview Series (IHIS) is a harmonized set of data and documentation based on material originally included in the public use files of the U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and distributed for free over the internet.   The NHIS is the principal source of information on the health of the U.S. population, covering such topics as general health status, the distribution of acute and chronic illness, functional limitation, access to and use of medical services, and insurance coverage.  The IHIS facilitates cross-time comparisons of these invaluable survey data by coding variables identically across time.  With IHIS microdata (information about individual persons and households), researchers can use their desired set of variables to create tabulations and multivariate analyses tailored to their particular research questions.  The IHIS provides detailed documentation covering comparability issues and on-line codes and frequencies for each harmonized variable.  IHIS data are distributed via an interactive data extraction system to anyone who agrees to use the data responsibly.

 

Supporting Geographic Data Using Fedora
Carson, David

A digital data archive for geographic data has unique issues for data repositories, such as providing common geographic frameworks across datasets, supporting time-series data in a changing world and allowing users to submit and use data independent of any specific GIS application. This poster session demonstrates a \'proof-of-concept\' system built around the open-source FEDORA digital repository system. The system allows a user to retrieve statistical data along with the geographic framework (such as a set of shapefiles) that can be used with it. They can also use the data for visualization through a web browser or a standard application such as Google Earth. A user or administrator can upload or update new data, with a standard process for reconciling differences in geographic frameworks, such as naming. If successful, this proof-of-concept system will be made available as part of the Fedora open source package.
 

UK Data Archive:  research and development
Corti, Louise

In this poster we will highlight some of the innovative R&D work we have been doing at the UKDA over the past year. This includes setting up a new national integrated portal for access to UK census data; working with 5 UK projects on enhancing access to qualitative data and research; applying text mining tools for qualitative data mark-up and automated anonymisation; implementing Shibboleth access to our data; digitising large amounts of audio material and older historical population reports for online access; and scoping guidelines and tools for the integration of data archives with repositories of research publications; and assessing the UKDA and The National Archives compliance with OAIS and METS.

 

Evolution of a Data Archive
Crabtree, Jonathan
Sheaves, David

Our proposal for a poster will culminate in a graphical display exhibiting the life cycle of the Odum Institute Data Archive.  Over its many years the Odum Archive has evolved through many changes.  The endless spinning wheels of technology require perpetual modification of underlying technology infrastructures.  Recent changes in the Odum technology systems are just another example of the diligent work performed by Odum staff in order to provide a stable archival platform for the many years of valuable data comprising the archive.  Our latest work is based on the Virtual Data Center developed by the Harvard-MIT Data Center.  The heart of the system is a federated common catalog system that allows our customers to locate datasets not only at Odum but at any of our partner sites.  The XML/DDI based metadata standards allow advance manipulation of the datasets with online web based statistical systems.  We look forward to displaying our work.

 

The IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit, experience in developing countries
Dupriez, Olivier
Pascal Heus

The International Household Survey Network would like to participate in the poster session to show case the latest version of the Microdata Management Toolkit along with outputs produced by national statistical agencies and other partners in developing countries.

 

Open Data Foundation: DDI Tools
Heus, Pascal
Jostein Ryssevik
Chris Nelson
Arofan Gregory

For this poster session, the Open Data Foundation will showcase opensource tools that have been developed for the management of DDI and other statistical data related XML documents. This includes DDI 3.0 tools such as a Browser to visualize and perform basic operations such as a 1/2.x to 3.0 transformation, a web based help reference, and a roadmap for future developments.

 

DAIS KM 2006 Suite
Khosla, Prem
Daye, Eric

Data Analysis and Information Reporting Section, Data Development and
Research Dissemination Division, Health Policy Branch, Health Canada will
present a poster session displaying the DAIS KM 2006 Suite which consists
of:

1. DAIS KM 2006:  a full-featured workbench for policy advisors,
researchers, data analysts, information specialists and others who work to
bring evidence-based knowledge to bear on government policy and program
decision making. It enables users whose primary focus is on knowledge to
have easy and fast access to microdata, fully integrated with key research
reports, publications, policy documents and polls, including published
aggregates in DDI, B2020, Excel and other popular formats.

2. DAIS DDIms Publisher:  for capturing and managing DDI metadata to be
used in DAIS KM.

3. System Administration (SYSADM) tool:  for describing and entering
information and knowledge products (using Dublin Core extensions to the
DDI), entering DAIS DDIms Publisher Metadata,  managing users and access
permission, managing tasks, and tracking DAIS KM usage.

 

Do-It-Yourself made EASY
Kramer, Rutger
Wittenberg, Marion

On the 1st of February, DANS will launch its new on-line archiving system: EASY. What distinguishes this system from other archiving systems is the possibility for researchers to deposit datasets themselves, to customize the presentation of the dataset in the system and to control who will get access to the datasets. This presentation will present the results of the systems usage evaluation which has taken place in June of 2006, from which we can draw conclusions on the feasibility of having researchers depositing and archiving data themselves. Moreover, it will go into the numerous ways in which this web-application can be modified and customized without having to change the original programs source files, making it relatively simple to implement for organizations with very specific archiving system requirements.

 

Using the ESRC Question Bank: An Online Resource Developed for the Social Survey Research Community
Lamb, Julie
Graham Hughes

The Question Bank (Qb) website is a resource developed for researchers who wish to view the questionnaires from large scale UK social surveys. Founded in 1995, the Qb is based in the UK but its large body of material can be of use to social researchers anywhere in the world. Most survey questionnaires are held in the form of text searchable PDF files. Many recent surveys are based upon the CAPI program BLAISE, and display the questionnaire in modified coded format. The Qb is intended to help researchers designing questionnaires, secondary analysts in search of surveys covering specific topics, and students of survey methods. It is building up commentary material on the measurement of 21 social and socioeconomic variables. Its longer-term objective is to assist improvements in UK survey measurement practices. The Question Bank is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council.

 

Minority Data Resource Center at ICPSR
LeClere, Felicia
Thomas, David
Melendez, Robert

In 2006, ICPSR introduced the Minority Data Resource Center (MDRC).  The mission of the MDRC is to provide data resources for the comparative analysis of issues affecting racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States by offering streamlined access to ICPSR data that are relevant to the study of immigration, place of origin, ancestry, ethnicity, and race.  Keeping with the theme of this year's conference, the MDRC is committed to increasing the availability of data sets that previously were not widely disseminated.  We will demonstrate three new online analysis tools designed for the MDRC.  These new tools will assist users in identifying whether a data set is appropriate for their use, will allow them to analyze subsets of the data, and to generate and save syntax to perform analyses outside of the online analysis tools.  

 

Online Survey Services for Social Science Research
Lindsay, Thomas

Online surveys have become an important, if problematic, tool for social science research.  Despite a wide variety of options available online, very few services have been tailored to the research and privacy needs of social science researchers at major research Universities.  Over the past two years, we designed and implemented just such a service at the University of Minnesota.
Following a year of development and testing, we launched our service at the beginning of 2006 and have run approximately fifty research surveys in the past year.

In this poster session, we will explain the procedures and policies that support this service.  We will address the complexities of online data collection in an environment where ever-greater scrutiny is being cast on issues of data privacy, and we will discuss some of the unique issues of user bias that emerge with online survey research.  Finally, via an electronic slide show, we will highlight a case study of one research project's implementation of online survey techniques.

 

Intute Social Science: Statistics and Data
Macdonald, Stuart

Intute is a free online service providing you with access to the very best Web resources for education and research. The service is created by a network of UK universities and partners. Subject specialists select and evaluate the websites in our database and write high quality descriptions of the resources. Intute: Statistics and Data provides free access to high quality statistics-related resources on the Internet. The service aims to match resources to the statistics curriculum and the needs of researchers in addition to maintaining training links, current awareness and an assortment of related materials. Our target audience is students, staff and researchers in higher and further education. For further information visit:  http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/statistics/

 

DDI Alliance
Nakao, Ron
Vardigan, Mary
Marker, Hans Jorgen

This poster session will acquaint conference attendees with the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI), an XML specification for social science metadata, as well as the membership Alliance that is developing it. The exhibit will feature information on the structure of Version 3.0 and its new functionality. Representatives of the DDI Alliance will be on hand to provide information about the DDI and the benefits of becoming a member of the Alliance. The DDI Alliance is made up of institutions committed to supporting the development and adoption of the DDI as the standard specification for the social sciences.

 

IASSIST 2.0
Rice, Robin
Barlow, Rachael
Giesbrecht, Walter
Juhnke, Joanne
Martinez, Luis
Partlo, Kristin

Do you believe that Web 2.0 is hype or hip? Either way, drop by this interactive poster session and give it a try. The IASSIST Communiqué is an organisational blog, creating a public presence for data-related and member-related news and comment. The IASSIST website showcases community-generated 'tools and training' content and job ads. IASSIST members have collaborated in writing an entry in Wikipedia for Data Library, which could use more input from data professionals. Others have been using tools like Del.icio.us and FURL for tagging and sharing links to data-related web sites. And members have even shared photos from conferences using an iassist "group" in Flickr. Like it or love it, IASSIST 2.0 is here! Tim O'Reilly, an early promoter of the Web 2.0 idea, says, "The central idea is harnessing collective intelligence." (See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12015774/site/newsweek/page/2/.) So, share some of yours: come along and be prepared to participate!

 

SDA at University of Toronto:  a Canadian SDS server
Ruus, Laine

The University of Toronto has installed an SDA server, which is becoming an increasingly popular vehicle for the 24x7 delivery of microdata for academic teaching and research at UT as well as at other subscribing institutions. While SDA is familiar to users as an interface through which ICPSR, Roper and IPUMS data are available, the UT server provides access to major contemporary Canadian microdata files in a DDI-compliant environment.

 

StatsProgs2DDI: Conversion tool from statistical package formats to DDI Version 3.0
Wackerow, Joachim

StatsProgs2DDI is a tool to generate the variable-level documentation in DDI 3.0 format on the basis of statistical package system files. Generating a core DDI 3.0 document from an existing system file (for example SPSS) enables a quick start in building DDI 3.0 documents. The first version of the tool will include the SPSS format, further planned formats are SAS, and Stata. DDI 3.0 will be published in the first half of this year.StatsProgs2DDI generates the following DDI information for each variable: variable name, variable label, and common descriptive summary statistics, for each category: category value, category label, missing value indicator, and frequencies/percentages. StatsProgs2DDI is part of a DDI tool family including generation of multi-channel output (i.e., HTML, Microsoft Help, and PDF), and generation of data definition commands for statistical packages on the basis of DDI Version 2 documents. StatsProgs2DDI will be available to the public under the terms of the GNU General Public License.