Hosted by the University of Regina Library December 1999 DLI Training Workshop Chuck Humphrey

DLI Workshop -- Dec Day 1 : A.M. Review data service models within the framework of:  access and dissemination  aggregate data and microdata  statistics versus data

DLI Workshop -- Dec Day 1 : A.M.  Hands-on work with aggregate data CANSIM E-STAT Census ‘96 Health Indicators Database

DLI Workshop -- Dec Day 1 : P.M. Microdata retrieval systems  LANDRU (UC) introduction with hands-on experience  ISLAND (UBC) introduction with hands-on experience

DLI Workshop -- Dec Day 2 : A.M.  Update to DLI since 1997 experiences with new web services  Spatial Data Retrieval: GEODE

DLI Workshop -- Dec Day 2 : P.M.  Other data extractors  Discussion about possible COPPUL data access projects  Roundtable discussion about introducing data to our reference colleagues

DLI Workshop -- Dec

8 Data Service Models Begin by discussing data service models within the framework of three topics:  access and dissemination  aggregate data and microdata  statistics versus data

DLI Workshop -- Dec Data Service Models Models were presented as a continuum during the 1997 DLI workshop “Order & Pass- through” Service Install Data and Provide Access Treat as a Collection and Provide Reference

DLI Workshop -- Dec Data Service Models Choose a model that matches your staff and computing resources

DLI Workshop -- Dec Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data

DLI Workshop -- Dec Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data

DLI Workshop -- Dec Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data

DLI Workshop -- Dec Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data

DLI Workshop -- Dec Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data

DLI Workshop -- Dec Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data

DLI Workshop -- Dec Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data Acquisition Fill a Request Locate data Order data & documentation Collection Development Select & Locate data Order data & documentation Catalogue data & documentation Install & Store (data & documentation) Reference Search for data Interpret documentation Retrieve or download data Process data change formats subset cases or variables aggregate cases merge files analyze data Find a referral partner on campus

DLI Workshop -- Dec

DLI Workshop -- Dec The Inventory Model In the traditional inventory model, roughly half of the support goes to putting items on the shelf, while the other half goes to finding and getting the items off the shelf. Source: Darlene Fichter

DLI Workshop -- Dec The Access Model With the access model, support is split between getting information into a deliverable state and finding appropriate ways of retrieving and disseminating the information.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Access/Dissemination Issues managing vendor licenses  are the license conditions realistic?  what type of identification or authentication is required?

DLI Workshop -- Dec Access/Dissemination Issues matching products with technology  is the product dependent on a specific operating system?  is the product software dependent?

DLI Workshop -- Dec Access/Dissemination Issues determining access methods  stand-alone, lan or wan?  what are the finding tools?

DLI Workshop -- Dec Access/Dissemination Issues determining dissemination options  what are the output formats?  does the output require special storage considerations?

DLI Workshop -- Dec The Access Model These issues and others about access and dissemination will underlie our discussions over the next two days.

DLI Workshop -- Dec

DLI Workshop -- Dec Data Types  In the 1997 DLI workshop time was spent discussing differences between aggregate data and microdata.  Each type has an impact on data access models.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Aggregate Data  Aggregate data consist of statistical summaries derived from original data collections and organized in tables according to the following properties: socio-economic phenomena spatial representation time

DLI Workshop -- Dec Aggregate Data  Statistical summaries these summaries take the form of counts, totals, sums, averages or percentages

DLI Workshop -- Dec Age and Sex are displayed Spatial representation and Time are fixed Cells contain counts

DLI Workshop -- Dec Spatial representation and Age are fixed Year and Sex are displayed

DLI Workshop -- Dec Geography and Sex are displayed Age and Time are fixed

DLI Workshop -- Dec Aggregate Data  Aggregate data products usually stored as a series of related tables in some type of database structure requiring special retrieval software (examples from STC include C86, C91, CBP, CANSIM, etc.)

DLI Workshop -- Dec Microdata  Microdata are usually anonymised records of actual respondents from a survey unsummarized, i.e, observations in the form in which the data were collected in a raw format requiring some form of processing, typically a flat ASCII file

Microdata: Cases 3 & 4 from the GSS 2 Main File

Microdata: First 14 Cases from the GSS 2 Episode File

DLI Workshop -- Dec Impact on Data Access  Aggregate data have been processed and organized in a database structure must locate the table with desired data must deal with each database structure must deal with accompanying retrieval software

DLI Workshop -- Dec Impact on Data Access  Microdata data must be processed or subset for subsequent processing must identify desired variables and cases (data documentation) must deal with the raw data file structure must address the issue of desired formats

DLI Workshop -- Dec Impact on Data Access These and others differences between aggregate data and microdata will be part of our discussions about data access, also.

DLI Workshop -- Dec

DLI Workshop -- Dec Statistics versus Data  The term statistics is commonly used to describe the numeric summaries, such as counts, totals, sums and averages, that people use to make a point in a study or report.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Statistics versus Data  The term data refers to numeric files containing a collection of raw information with many observations that can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Statistics versus Data  Typically, generalizations are drawn from analyses of a data file.  For example, the information provided by all of the individuals in a survey is considered to be data, while the percent of respondents in a survey with a university degree is a statistic.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Blurring Statistics and Data  In the print world, statistical information is usually found in statistical abstracts, census monographs and serial publications by government agencies.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Blurring Statistics and Data  In the digital world this numeric information is now appearing with electronic table access on CD-ROM, the Internet, or in electronic journals.  Many aggregate data products now fall in this category.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Blurring Statistics and Data  In other instances, the responses in the microdata file of a survey may provide the answer to a statistical question. For example, the percentage of the population in Canada with high blood pressure may be determined from the National Population Health Survey.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Impact on Data Access The use of aggregate data products and microdata files to answer statistical questions will also contribute to our discussions about data access.

DLI Workshop -- Dec

DLI Workshop -- Dec Context for Aggregate Data Simplifying access to aggregate data is partially driven by a desire to use these products to answer general statistics questions. The demand for facts and figures at the reference desk remains constant or steadily increases.

DLI Workshop -- Dec Aggregate Data Challenges The challenges of creating access to aggregate data were summarized earlier.  finding a table with the desired statistics  dealing with each database structure  coping with a variety of retrieval software

DLI Workshop -- Dec DLI Aggregate Data Sources Four major DLI aggregate data products have been chosen for this workshop.

DLI Workshop -- Dec DLI Aggregate Data Sources CANSIM is a major source for economic and social data that are organized in time series.

DLI Workshop -- Dec DLI Aggregate Data Sources E-STAT offers a simplified interface to a selected subset of CANSIM and some additional aggregate data that have been identified as useful in teaching.

DLI Workshop -- Dec DLI Aggregate Data Sources The 1996 Census aggregate data files are a particularly important collection because these electronic tables contain more statistical information than is available for the Census in print.

DLI Workshop -- Dec DLI Aggregate Data Sources The Health Indicators Database is a compilation of tables from several sources to provide a single-access tool about health status in Canada.

DLI Workshop -- Dec DLI Aggregate Data Sources These four aggregate data products are good candidates for every DLI member to have.  Now let’s turn to the comparative worksheet on these four products.