From On-site to Remote Data Access

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From On-site to Remote Data Access

• Lars Borchsenius
• Head of Division
• Statistics Denmark

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Phases

• From survey- to registerbased statistics
• 1968 The Person Number
• From mid-1980s increased interest in micro data
  for research and analysis
• On-site arrangement in 1987
• Remote access arrangement in 2001

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The Organisational Framework

• Data for research are handled by a special
  Research Services Division
• 12 employees (7 academics, 4 computer
  specialists, 1 secretary)
• Grant from the Ministry of Research 800,000 Euro
  pr. year in the period 2002-2005
• Small branch in Århus, Jutland

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The Research Service Unit

• Administration of the remote access arrangements
• Administrative work concerning authorizations,
  contracts etc.
• Coordinating data from different divisions i
  Statistics Denmark
• Computer related work. Updating research
  databases
• Advisory role new and old projects

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Vision

• Denmark should be one of the Worlds leading
  countries within registerbased research

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Research Databases

• Special microdata sets for research
• Reducing costs
• Special research topics
• Labour Market Research Data Base
• Demographich Database
• Social Research Databse
• In-patients Register (hospitals)
• Register of Medicinal Products Statistics
• etc.

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Who can have access to microdata?

• Only persons (researchers or analysts) from
  special authorized intistutions (stable
  institutions with a responsible manager and with
  a number of researchers/analysts)
• Private companies can be authorized and have
  access if they have a stable research environment

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Exceptions

• Single companies cannot have access to microdata
  with data for other companies
• Only data after a need to know principle
• SD can reduce data (samples and grouping)

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The Unix Solution

• Special Unix-computer(s) only for access to micro
  data
• Separated from the statistical production (main
  frame)
• Upgrated several times since 1996
• Software Flexible but most used is SAS, STATA,
  GAUSS, SPSS
• The de-identified micro data remains on the discs
  in SD

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Token RSA SecurID
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Output?

• Researchers are not allowed to print individual
  records and cannot download the basic data
• Output with statistical results is forwarded by
  e-mail
• Output is checked by SD manualy

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Latest development

• The remote access arrangement are now the
  dominant mode of access to micro data
• The on-site arrangement has been closed down
  during 2004 except from a few workplaces for
  foreign researchers

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Considerable growth

• 1986 2 researchers
• 1997 71 researchers
• 2002 151 researchers
• 2004 250 researchers
• 2005 300 researchers