1. An RDC in Your Backyard Bo Wandschneider University of Guelph CAPDU 2004

2. Outline SWORDC –Structure and operation –DLI/RDC relationships –How is it working for us RDC Developments impacting SWORDC –What changes are coming –Satellites

3. SWORDC South Western Ontario Research Data Centre Waterloo –Survey Research Centre –Guelph, Brock, WLU, Windsor –Western getting their own now

4. SWORDC Facilities Physical location at Waterloo –3 rooms Stat Can Analyst Office Meeting Room Lab/Workspace –No internet - LAN –12 machines – no disks –Significant start-up cost and there will be maintenance on hardware –Software is local decision – extensive –M-F 9:00-4:30

5. SWORDC - Analyst Stat Can Analyst on-site –Backed up from another RDC –Strong but focused statistical knowledge –Limited knowledge of Stats Can data –Very different from what we might describe as ideal data specialist –Very little understanding of what ‘we’ do –Seems to vary across centres –A costly resource

6. SWORDC – Relationship to DLI DRC manages the SWORDC website –Struggle to keep up to date and complete –Direct links from DRC metadata Publicize RDC in DRC newsletter and website Should be a continuum of access –Still very much one way effort

7. SWORDC Website

8. SWORDC – 2 years in Costly for faculty to travel there –Time and lack of own environment Some frustrations with applications but improving Making more use of synthetic files Making use of RJS Not a lot of use

9. SWORDC - 2 Years in We try and get to researcher first –They need to know data and stats packages Need to track output –List of papers, reports, thesis –This will fall to us

10. RDC – What’s New May use students to extend hours –No vetting during these hours Changes to publication requirements –May only need to show that results reported – thesis, article, conf paper… Census synthetic file may go in RDC –this is yet another model – concerns? Satellites

11. RDC - Satellites Designed for partners, or those without RDC Establish satellite site –Facilities Similar to RDC – room, hardware, software Cost would be significant Is this necessary?

12. RDC - Satellites Facilities –Staffed by student –No vetting on-site –Results encrypted and sent off-site for vetting Should some of our RDC’s be Satellites –More cost effective? –What is value added of Stat Can analyst? –Is there a role for local data professionals?

13. RDC – Sample costs