Accessing the MCS via the Economic and Social Data Service

Jack Kneeshaw and Alasdair CrockettMCS workshop 20 November 2003

ESDS Longitudinal

Economic and Social Data Service

• new national data archiving and dissemination service

• provides access and support for key economic and social data

• distributed service, bringing together centres of expertise in data creation, dissemination, preservation and use

• provides seamless and easier access to a range of disparate resources for UK Higher and Further Education sectors

• core archiving services plus four specialist data services

Specialist data services

• ESDS Government• ESDS International• ESDS Longitudinal • ESDS Qualidata

• Greater emphasis on:―value-added data and documentation―enhanced resource discovery―improved delivery services―service specific help―online support materials―training programme―outreach and promotion

Partners

• UK Data Archive, University of Essex

• Manchester Information and Associated Services (MIMAS), University of Manchester

• Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR), University of Manchester

• Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Essex

About ESDS Longitudinal

ESDS LongitudinalJoint enterprise:

• UK Data Archive (UKDA)• UK Longitudinal Studies Centre (ULSC)

based at ISER

• supports a range of longitudinal data collections but four ‘core’ collections in particular:

• British Cohort Study (BCS70) • British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) • Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) • National Child Development Study (NCDS)

ESDS Longitudinal

In addition to core studies ESDS Longitudinal will also:

• aim to identify other longitudinal datasets for inclusion, e.g. English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and the 1946 Birth Cohort (NSHD)

• via the UKDA, continue to make available other longitudinal studies such as the LFS (2 and 5 quarter), YCS, HALS and BEPS

ESDS Longitudinal

The service already provides:

• a helpdesk service operated by – email: longitudinal@esds.ac.uk – telephone: +44 (0)1206 872143– JISCmail discussion list: esds-longitudinal@jiscmail.ac.uk

• web-based Frequently Asked Questions

• web-based downloadable data files

• online data in Nesstar to facilitate the browsing of longitudinal datasets (inc. the NCDS and BCS70)

• a series of meetings and workshops for both novice and more advanced users

ULSC/ESDS Longitudinal

For the future – ULSC’s ‘Cohorts Enhancement Project’:

• online facilities will include a searchable directory of researchers' interests and a catalogue providing details of other longitudinal data collections

• the provision of harmonised data standards across all NCDS/BCS70 waves or sweeps

• improved information on weighting, missing data, statistical adjustments and additional derived variables

• the development of an online system for visualisation of documentation, subsetting and data matching

• the use of confidential, geo-coded data under secure access conditions (BHPS)

Centre for Longitudinal Studies

• working with ULSC to provide improved user access to all the cohort materials

• provides access to non-archived data

• advice and guidance

• documentation/working papers/data notes

• information on uses of the data/publications/other developments

www.cls.ioe.ac.uk

Data Deposit, Processing, Retrieval and Access

Millennium Cohort data available via the ESDS

Ensuring confidentiality

• CMs promised confidentiality

• datasets deposited with UKDA are fully anonymised

• datasets go through further process of checking at the UKDA

• UKDA users undertake not to identify individuals

Retrieval and Access

• web access, via UKDA site, to data and metadata

• documentation (codebooks, questionnaires) freely available to any UKDA user (registered or unregistered)

• data can be browsed and frequencies run by any user (registered or unregistered) using Nesstar

• full datasets are freely available for download for the majority of our registered users

• data supplied in a variety of formats– SPSS – STATA– tab-delimited text

Online access for unregistered users

• UKDA web pages - easy to navigate format– ‘Search catalogue’ facility– subject browsing - e.g. major series – HASSET thesaurus– access to online doc - pdf user guides and

questionnaires

• Nesstar– browse data and metadata for a selection of

data, inc. NCDS and BCS70 – run frequencies

Unregistered users demo

Online access for registered users

Registered users can:

• download full datasets

• order data via online order system

• browse/analyse/download data in Nesstar

To register:

• complete online form

• sign and return data access agreement (legal undertaking)

• (to access data) register a project

Registered users demo

Nesstar

Nesstar provides quick and easy access to data andinformation about that data via a standard web browser.

Anyone can: • search for and list datasets • browse dataset documentation (including codebook and

frequencies)

Non-commercial users registered with UKDA accounts can: • browse and analyse data • visualise data (for example, produce graphs and pie

charts)• download data (including subsets) in a number of

formats (including SPSS, SAS and STATA) • bookmark searches and analyses

Nesstar demo

ESDS Longitudinal Help

CLS

+44 (0)207 612 6860www.cls.ioe.ac.uk

cohort@cls.ioe.ac.uk

ESDS/UKDA

+44 (0)1206 872143www.esds.ac.uk/longitudinal

www.data-archive.ac.ukhelp@esds.ac.uk