1. The Rocky Mountain Research Data Center
Advancing the Frontiers of Social Science: Opportunities and Challenges
Jani Little, Executive Director
Katie Genadek, Expected Administrator
The Rocky Mountain Research Data Center
Jani Little, Executive Director
Katie Genadek, Administrator
January 10, 2017
The Rocky Mountain Federal Statistical Research Data Center
(RMRDC)
Jani Little
Executive Director

2. What is a Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC)?
--A secure computing lab that is linked with the Census Bureau’s internal computing network, which hosts restricted-access data from multiple federal agencies
--Made possible by a contractual agreement between a leading research institution and the U.S. Census Bureau
--The Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies (CES) directs all FSRDCs and the FSRDC Program
--FSRDCs are managed by an on-site Census employee—the administrator— who guides researchers on proposal development, enforces security guidelines, and serves as liaison with the research community.

4. Major Partners in the FSRDC System
U.S. Census Bureau
Economic Data
Demographic Data
Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Data
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Other Federal Partners

5. 9 in 2009 and 24 in 2016

6. The RMRDC Consortium Partner Members: Supporting Members:
UC Colorado Springs
Colorado State Government
Colorado School of Mines
National Center for Atmospheric Research
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

7. Partner Members Faculty, Grad Students, and Affiliated Researchers:
Free access to RMRDC services and secure laboratory
Researchers with continued use are expected to write grant proposals and include lab fees

8. Who can work in an FSRDC?
Researchers with an approved project, including:
faculty and other researchers
graduate students working with advisors
foreign nationals with 3 years in the United States

9. Advantages to Researchers and Academic Institutions:
--Greatly expands the policy and basic questions that can be addressed
--Builds on past research with richer data
--Improves competitive edge for grants and publications
--Improves graduate education (big data/statistical techniques) and placement
--Attracts and retains data intensive faculty

10. Advantages Provided by Restricted Data Access:
--Microdata not available publicly
firms and establishments
individuals and households
--Variables not available in public versions of data sets
(e.g., low level geography)
--Full population counts or larger samples (Decennial Census, ACS, CPS)
--Full range of response items (e.g., industry codes, detailed race answers, income is not top-coded, etc.)
--Ability to make linkages
with external data (e.g., via geocodes, establishment ID, etc.)
between multiple internal data sets via non-public link keys

11. Scouting Out Examples Relevant to Neonatology:
CES Discussion Paper Series
Every Census project is required to contribute a working paper
Downloadable from this site:
NCHS Publications
This site provides a list of all publications that have resulted from RDC projects:

12. Current Project—Rick Rogers, CU Boulder Early Life Mortality in the U
Current Project—Rick Rogers, CU Boulder Early Life Mortality in the U.S.
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)- Longitudinal Mortality File (LMF)
246,464 records, 734 deaths
Restricted-use variables
Early life deaths (ages 0-17)
Exact dates (rather than quarters)
Age, day, month of birth, interview, and death
Detailed cause of death (beyond 10 categories)
New mortality linked files, when available
Geographic detail
50 states rather than 4 regions
Age top coding usually at ages 85+
Quarter of birth, interview, and death may be too broad for younger ages.
Some causes of death are perturbed
New matches, available this fall, will first be accessible only in an RDC
South generally experiences higher risk of death

13. Recent Project—Jason Lindo and Analisa Packham, Texas A&M Does Expanding Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) Reduce Teen Birth Rates?
Colorado Family Planning Initiative (CFPI) 2009—40% reduction in teen birth
Was it because of the policy initiative?
Colorado counties with Title X clinics matched with with non-Colorado counties with Title X clinics.
Used Restricted-Use NCHS Natality files,
Mother’s age at birth
Year of conception
County of birth
LARCs include subdermal implants and IUDs. Extremely effective at preventing pregnancies. Half of teen births are to teens using contraception.

14. Breastfeeding laws and breastfeeding practices by race and ethnicity Smith-Gagen J1, Hollen R, Tashiro S, Cook DM, Yang W. Womens Health Issues. 2014 Jan-Feb;24(1)
Compared breastfeeding practices by race and ethnicity in areas with and without 8 specific breastfeeding laws protecting break-time from work to pump exemption from jury duty awareness education campaigns National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) breastfeeding practice data, race, ethnicity
LaAR

15. RMRDC: The Physical Facility
Projected Opening Date: March 1, 2017
Location: IBS Rms
--10 thin client workstations to access FSRDC servers
--Secure communications that tunnel over campus internet
--Contains the Administrator’s office
--Badge Reader at Entrance
--24/7 Security System with camera
--no electronic devices allowed
--NOTHING leaves the secure lab without approval

16. FSRDC Server Software
GEODa Tomlab Knittro Madd QGIS StatTransfer Python - Anaconda Fortran Perl Tex/LaTex
Gauss Stata Matlab & toolboxes PBS Pro Intel Composer XE NX Enterprise R  SAS SAS (Dataflux) SUDAAN

17. University of Colorado
Katie Genadek, PhD
RMRDC Administrator
University of Colorado
IBS Room 423

18. Health and Human Services Data in the RDCs
Added value to public data:
Additional variables
More detailed geography
Continuous/non top-coded variables
Some data can be linked to:
Mortality files
Social Security files
Medicare/Medicaid files
Air quality files (indirect match by detailed geography)

19. NCHS Surveys available through RDC
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
National Health Interview Disability Survey
National Immunization Survey
Longitudinal Study on Aging
National Survey of Family Growth
National Maternal and Infant Health Survey
See the complete list with descriptions at

20. AHRQ Survey available through RDC
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Household Component
nationally representative data on demographic characteristics, health conditions, health status, use of medical care services, charges and payments, access to care, satisfaction with care, health insurance coverage, income, and employment
Restricted Variables:
Geographic detail; state identifiers
Fully specified ICD-9 codes
Asset data
Imputed NDC for prescription drugs

21. Current RDC projects of interest – Health Data
Effects of Medicaid expansion on insurance coverage duration and access to health care (NHIS)
Effects of job and family demands on health and health behaviors (MEPS with merged O*NET)
How does race on death certificates compare to self reported race? How does this impact race-specific mortality rates? (NHIS linked to NDI)

22. Census Data: Demographic data available in RDCs
More geographic detail
Additional variables
More observations
Variables not censored (income)
Additional detail within variables

23. Data Available Decennial Censuses
Yearly ACS (American Community Survey)
Current Population Survey Supplements
American Housing Survey
Survey of Income and Program Participation
National Crime Victimization Survey
National Longitudinal Mortality Study
National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS)

24. More information
a.html
Public data and metadata

25. Census Data: Economic data available in RDCs
Microdata that is not available elsewhere
Detailed geographies and industries
Data linked over time
Employee and employer linked data
Full business register for the US

26. Types of Economic data available in RDCs
Business Register
Firm Surveys
Establishment Surveys
Economic Censuses
Transaction or Trade data

27. Useful Websites Census Bureau Data: Center for Economic Studies
NCHS Research Data Center
AHRQ

28. RDC Proposals Personnel and Time Frame
Project Description (scientific merit, methods, feasibility, why requires restricted data)
Dataset(s), Variables, Geography
Results Expected and Disclosure Avoidance Strategies

29. Components of Proposals:
Personnel and Time Frame
Project Description (scientific merit, methods, feasibility, why requires restricted data)
Dataset(s), Variables, Geography
Results Expected and Disclosure Avoidance Strategies

30. Proposal Differences by Agency:
Census
NCHS
Approval % 70
nearly 100
Time to Approval
3-4 months on average
less on average
Benefit to Agency
PPS Required
Not Required
Fee
None
$1200 extract
Scope
Broad (max of 30 pages)
Precise

31. Special Sworn Status
SSS is authorized by Title 13 U.S.C. 23 (c) "to assist the Bureau of the Census in performing the work authorized by this title.”
The Census Bureau may provide SSS to an individual
When an individual has expertise or specialized knowledge that can contribute to the accomplishment of Census Bureau projects or activities or engages in a joint project with the Census Bureau;
When an individual is employed by an agency/organization performing a service for the Census Bureau under contract or providing information to the Census Bureau for statistical purposes;
When Federal law requires an individual to audit, inspect, or investigate Census Bureau activities.

32. Background Check Off-line paperwork and documentation
On-line trainings and certifications
Background check
Submitted online and followed with interview
Residential history
Foreign travel
Education and employment history
References
Fingerprinting

33. Accessing NCHS Restricted-Use Data
Submit proposal to NCHS for review
Once approved, request data extraction
$1,200-$2,500 fee for more extensive extraction
Pass on-line training
Access data
FSRDC (SSS required)
Online system
Output is reviewed by NCHS staff, then ed
Disclosure review for manuscripts

34. How and When Do I Get Started?
See materials at the RMRDC website, the CES website, NCHS website
Contact the RMRDC Director and Administrator for:
data availability
project budget and timeline
contact information
For Census projects, the Administrator will give invaluable guidance on
the proposal development process
the benefits to Census (PPS)
help navigate the project approval process

35. Contact Information:
Katie Genadek:
Jani Little: