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
Introduction to Proposal Development Workshop
Jani Little, Executive Director
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 where restricted data, collected by federal agencies, can be accessed FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES ONLY
--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. 9 in 2009 and 24 in 2016

5. 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

6. Partner Consortium 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

7. Advantages to Researchers and Institutions:
--Greatly expands the policy and basic questions that can be addressed
--Builds on past research findings 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

8. Opportunities for Graduate Students:
--Cornell University Course by Videoconference, Fall Semester 2017, held on CU Boulder Campus on Mondays
--Census Dissertation Mentorship Program

9. Advantages Provided to Research:
--Microdata not available publicly
firms and establishments
individuals and households (especially longitudinal studies)
children
--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, occupational 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

10. FSRDCs Used to Address Many Research Topics
Business, Trade, Finance, and Management
Crime and Crime Victimization
Demography, Population Distributions and Trends, Migration, and Immigration
Economics, Labor Markets, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Industry
Education and Education Policy
Hazard Mitigation, Environmental Impact Assessment, Pollution Abatement
Health and Well-Being, Health Insurance, Health Policy
Housing, Housing Markets, and Residential Patterns
Poverty, Social Welfare Policy, and Social Mobility
Transportation Analysis and Planning
Urban and Regional Economics and Planning
Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Manufacturing

11. Requirements for Any FSRDC Project:
--Research projects must undergo a formal approval process with the agency that owns the data, e.g., Census, NCHS, BLS
--Researchers must go through a background investigation that qualifies them for “Special Sworn Status (SSS)” which makes them an unpaid Census Bureau employee.
--Results must be formally reviewed for disclosure violation before they leave the secure facility.
Currently 260 active projects, 50% are Census

12. RMRDC: The Physical Facility
Projected Opening: March, 2017
Location: IBS Building on CU Boulder Campus
--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

13. 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

14. 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

15. How and When Do I Get Started?
--See materials at the RMRDC website, the CES website, and other relevant sites.
--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 Primary Purpose Statement (PPS)
--help navigate the project approval process

16. 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

17. Examples of Economic Microdata
Data Set
Frequency
Unit of Enumeration
Availability
Standard Statistical Establishment List/Business Register (SSEL)
Annually
Establishment
1974–2014
Longitudinal Business Database (LBD)
1976–2014
Report of Organization Survey  Also known as Company Organization Survey (COS)
Firm
2002–2013

18. Examples of Economic Data
Data Sets
Frequency
Unit of Enumeration
Availability
Census of Auxiliary Establishments (AUX)
Every 5 Years
Establishment
1977–2007
Census of Construction Industries (CCN)
1972–2012
Census of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (CFI)
1992–2012
Census of Manufactures (CMF)
1963,  1967–2012
Census of Mining (CMI)
1987–2012
Census of Retail Trade (CRT)
1977–2012
Census of Services (CSR)
Census of Transportation, Communications, and Utilities (CUT)
Census of Wholesale Trade (CWH)

19. Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM)
Data Set
Frequency
Unit of Enumeration
Availability
Sponsor
Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM)
Annually
Establishment
1973–2014
Census Bureau
Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS)
Various
1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010
Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey – Insurance Component (MEPS–IC)
1996–2006, 2008–2015
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
National Employer Survey (NES)
1994, 1996, 1997, 1998
Department of Education (DOE)
Survey of Pollution Abatement Costs and Expenditures (PACE)
Various (Discontinued)
1974–1982, 1984–1986, 1988–1994, 1999, 2005
Census Bureau / Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

20. National Science Foundation
Data Set
Frequency
Unit of Enumeration
Availability
Sponsor
Business Research & Development and Innovation Survey (BRDIS)
Annually
Firm
2008–2013
National Science Foundation
Survey of Business Owners (SBO)
Every 5 Years
1982–2012
Census Bureau

21. Examples of Demographic Data
Data Set
Frequency
Unit of Enumeration
Availability
Sponsor
American Community Survey (ACS)
Annually
Housing Unit
1996–2015
Census Bureau
American Housing Survey (AHS)
1984–1999, 2001–2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic (ASEC) Supplement (March)
Household
1967–2015
Census Bureau and  Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Current Population Survey (CPS) Food Security Supplement (December)
2001–2012
Census Bureau and  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Current Population Survey (CPS) Tobacco Use Supplement
Irregular
, 2000,
Census Bureau and  National Cancer Institute (NCI)

22. National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Annually 2006–2014
Decennial Census
Every Ten Years
Household
1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010
Census Bureau
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
Annually
2006–2014
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) School Crime Supplement
2013
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS)
Variable
Individual
Through 2011*
Census Bureau, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Longitudinal Survey (NLSY79)
Biennial
1979–1994
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG)
Every Two Years
National Science Foundation (NSF)

23. Examples of Restricted Health Data
Geographic Codes for all NCHS Surveys
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
National Health Care Surveys
National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)
National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS)
National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS) and National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS)
National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS) and National Home Health Aide Survey (NHHAS)
National Survey of Residential Care Facilities (NSRCF)
National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP)
National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS)

24. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)
State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS)
National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH)
National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)

25. NCHS Data Linkage Activities
Linked Mortality Data Products
Linked Medicare Enrollment and Claims Files Data
Linked Medicaid Enrollment and Claims Data
Linked Social Security Benefit History Data
National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) Data Release and Access Policy
National Maternal and Infant Health Survey