UK DATA SERVICE-CENSUS SUPPORT SERVICE (UKDS-CSS)

在过去的十年里，ESRC资助了一个“普查计划”，使“数据支持单位”能够创建、维护和开发数据交付系统，使英国学术界的用户能够在线访问1971年、1981年、1991年和2001年人口普查的数据产品，并获得专家建议。这里的建议是通过创建一个人口普查支持服务（CSS）来逐步改变用户所期望的支持，该服务是一个新的综合英国数据服务（UKDS）的一部分，该服务通过一站式的界面为用户提供对各种各样的社会科学数据资源的访问和信息。由现有数据支援单位开发的软件交付系统将构成UKDS-CSS的骨干，并提供各种增值服务，例如复杂的搜索程序、定制数据子集的提取、统计分析和建模工具，以及在管理复杂数据集、承担研究项目和教学计划方面具有丰富经验的一组个人的专业知识。这项提议是在2011年人口普查结果公布的前夕提出的，在传统形式的人口普查停止的情况下，这个数据来源将对研究目的变得非常重要。2011年的人口普查可能是最后一次全面和可靠的人口统计，涉及小地理区域的广泛的社会经济个人和家庭属性。确保学术界能够通过UKDS-CSS交付结构立即方便地访问这些数据是当务之急。最初的工作将侧重于从人口普查办公室获取2011年人口普查数据、准备数据以供吸收和保存在社会保障体系数据库中以及数据核查。该提案设想从目前的服务提供框架分阶段过渡到允许用户通过集成的UKDS接口访问、提取和分析人口普查和相关数据的框架。为了实现这一目标，新的UKDS-CSS单元和UKDS-Core之间需要密切合作，以确保技术交付基础设施的互操作性，为客户查询提供有效的支持框架，并全面监控服务的使用和性能。我们的目的是将所有数据库和交付软件转移到UKDS，并开发UKDS- css，使其在所有服务中具有一致的UKDS“外观和感觉”。这项工作将需要在提供现有服务的同时进行。设想进行协作，以消除数据和元数据的重复，并确定数据库和软件以及工作人员的最佳安排/位置。一旦UKDS- css服务集成到UKDS中，我们将推进“集成数据访问”的发展，这是一项创新，允许用户构建一个查询，该查询将调用从多个普查数据库中搜索和提取数据和元数据。UKDS-CSS将为UKDS-Core提供支持和建议，以确保国家统计机构的新数据集用于研究，特别是在“2011年以后”的背景下，届时将使用许多行政来源来产生人口总数和与个人或家庭相关的属性信息。UKDS-CSS将与人口普查局合作，扩展其服务，以满足对研究和教学有价值的新数据集的需求。作为UKDS的一个组成部分，UKDS- css将寻求积极促进开放获取和开放数据议程，并在许可协议允许的情况下，将人口普查和相关数据集的在线访问扩展到海外和非学术用户。

A 'Census Programme' has been funded by the ESRC for the last decade that has enabled 'data support units' to create, maintain and develop data delivery systems that allow users in the academic community in the UK to have online access to, and expert advice about, data products from the 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses.The proposal here is for a step change in the support that users can expect by creating a Census Support Service (CSS) that is part of a new integrated UK Data Service (UKDS) that provides users with access to and information about the large variety of social science data resources that are available through a one-stop-shop interface. The software delivery systems that have been developed by the existing data support units will form the backbone of the UKDS-CSS and offer a variety of value added services, e.g. sophisticated search routines, extraction of customised data subsets, statistical analysis and modelling tools, complemented with the expertise of a group of individuals with extensive experience in managing complex data sets and undertaking research projects and teaching initiatives. This proposal comes on the eve of the publication of the results of the 2011 Census, a source of data that is going to become hugely important for research purposes in the event of the discontinuation of the census in its traditional form. The 2011 Census represents what may become the last comprehensive and reliable count of the population involving a wide set of socio-economic individual and household attributes for small geographical areas. Ensuring that the academic community has immediate and easy access to these data through UKDS-CSS delivery structures is a top priority. Initial efforts will be directed towards the processes of 2011 Census data acquisition from the census offices, data preparation for ingest and preservation in the CSS databases and data verification. The proposal envisages a phased transition from the current framework of service provision to one allowing users to access, extract and analyse census and related data via an integrated UKDS interface. To achieve this, close collaboration is required between the new UKDS-CSS units and the UKDS-Core to ensure interoperability of the technical delivery infrastructure, an efficient framework of support for customer enquiries and comprehensive monitoring of service usage and performance.Our intention is to transfer all the databases and delivery software to UKDS and to develop the UKDS-CSS with consistent UKDS 'look and feel' across the services. This work will need to be done in parallel with the provision of existing services. Collaboration is envisaged to eliminate data and metadata duplication and derive the optimal arrangement/location of databases and software as well as staffing. Once the UKDS-CSS services are integrated within the UKDS, we will progress the development of 'integrated data access', an innovation that will allow a user to construct one query that will invoke data and metadata searching and extraction from more than one census database.The UKDS-CSS will support and advise the UKDS-Core in order to secure new data sets from national statistical agencies for research, particularly in the context of 'Beyond 2011' where a number of administrative sources will be used to produce population headcounts and attribute information associated with individuals or households. Working in collaboration with the census offices, the UKDS-CSS will extend its services to cater for new data sets that are of value for research and teaching.As an integral part of the UKDS, the UKDS-CSS will seek to actively promote open access and open data agendas and, where licensing agreements permit, to extend online access of census and related data sets to overseas and non-academic users.