Data Sharing and Archiving

National Institutes of Health.   (F011631).  Principal Investigator:  Steven Ruggles; Co-Investigators:  William Block and Carolyn Liebler.   http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/DSDR/

This subcontract with the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is developing web-based data access tools for using complex datasets as part of a larger project to provide support to investigators funded by the NICHD Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch (DBSB).  Sample designs for demographic survey data have grown more complex during the past two decades. Before researchers can analyze these  surveys, they must carry out complex data manipulations which increase the cost of data analysis, contribute to errors and reduce the replicability of research.  This MPC project will (1) assess the needs and research strategies of investigators using the six most widely-used complex surveys currently being produced with DBSB funding, (2) evaluate existing tools for complex data reformatting and access, (3) design a cost-effective Web-based interface suitable for a broad range of complex datasets, and (4) carry out a proof-of-concept by implementing the interface for the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH - http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/nsfh/home.htm)