Blogs

World Bank Launches New Data Website Rich with Features and Newly Free Data

By administrator

May 2, 2010

The World Bank has just launched a new Data website that is densely packed with newly free data and features for using the data which are appropriate to all levels of users. Users may browse by country, topic, indicator or listing in the data catalog. The World Bank says that access is now freely available for over 2000 indicators from 1960-present. In comparison, the most recent version of World Development Indicators, a licensed version of their data sold to academic libraries, contained just over 900 indicators.

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Visualize It! with IMF Data Mapper

By administrator

May 2, 2010

The IMF Data Mapper lets you visualize data from some of the IMF’s major sources, including World Economic Outlook, Balance of Payment Statistics, Government Finance Statistics, AFR Regional Economic Outlook, and Joint IMF-OECD Statistics. You can choose from around 80 different indicators, such as GDP, inflation rate or unemployment rate. You can display data for specific countries, regions, or analytical groups, such as the Euro area or emerging and developing economies.

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Workshop: Providing Social Science Data Services: Strategies for Design and Operation

By jajacobs

March 22, 2010

Announcement of Workshop: Providing Social Science Data Services: Strategies for Design and Operation http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/sumprog/courses/0041 August 9-13, 2010 Ann Arbor Michigan Instructors: Chuck Humphrey, Head of the Data Library, University of Alberta Jim Jacobs, Data Services Librarian Emeritus, University of California San Diego This five-day workshop is being offered for individuals who manage or provide local support services for ICPSR and other numeric data for quantitative research. Providing access to data has taken on greater prominence over this past decade with the emergence of several significant developments, including, e-Science infrastructure funding, the open data movement, national and institutional digital preservation strategies & services, data enclaves for confidential data, lifecycle data management planning, and data mash-up technologies on the Internet.

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Odds Are, It's Wrong Science fails to face the shortcomings of statistics

By walterg

March 18, 2010

In the March 27, 2010 issue of Science News, this article talks about how “widespread misuse of statistical methods makes science more like a crapshoot”. The problem appears to be based in the misunderstanding and misuse of the concept of statistical significance. The comments at the end of the article make interesting reading, as do those at the end of the Slashdot posting on the same article.

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UKDA Director

By robin

February 19, 2010

Congratulations to IASSIST members Kevin Schürer and Matthew Woollard! Professor Schürer has announced he’ll be leaving the directorship of the UK Data Archive in order to take up a new post at the University of Leicester as Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research later this year. Dr. Woollard, currently Associate Director and Head of Digital Preservation and Systems, will become Director-Designate from the beginning of March 2010. Read more at UKDA news.

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IASSIST Quarterly 32 available on-line

By San

January 15, 2010

The IASSIST Quarterly (IQ) volume 32 2008 contains a collection of the 1, 2, 3, and 4 issues into a single issue for 2008. Nikos Askitas is the head of the International Data Service Center of the Institute for the Study of Labor in Germany (IZA). At the 2008 IASSIST conference he presented what is here an article on the “Data Documentation and Remote Computing at the International Data Service Center of IZA.

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US and UK governments embrace 'open data'

By robin

December 23, 2009

The US Open Government Directive, released on December 8, 2009, instructs all federal agencies to provide high-value information to the public online in open, accessible, machine-readable formats. This adds to the momentum already in place at Data.gov to “increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.” The Open Knowledge Foundation blog describes progress to date and milestones to come. The UK government also recently announced similar plans to open up data, and the imminent launch of a new Data.

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Chuck Humphrey elected Chair of DDI Expert Committee, Mari Kleemola new Vice Chair

By Ann

December 11, 2009

From theDDI Directions Newsletter: “The DDI Alliance is pleased to announce that Chuck Humphrey (Chair), University of Alberta, and Mari Kleemola (Vice Chair), Finnish Social Science Data Archive, have been elected to lead the DDI Expert Committee, beginning January 1, 2010. Chuck has been the Head of the Data Library at the University of Alberta since 1992 and also assumed responsibility for the implementation and management of a Statistics Canada Research Data Centre (RDC) at the University of Alberta in 2001.

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Diane Geraci receives the 2009 Flanigan Award for Distinguished Service as an ICPSR Official Representative

By Ann

November 23, 2009

The 2009 William H. Flanigan Awardfor Distinguished Service as an ICPSR Official Representative was presented to Diane Geraci, Associate Director for Information Resources at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries. Diane is a long time IASSIST supporter and former Admin Committee member. Congratulations, Diane! At the same ceremony, friends of IASSIST Merrill Shanks and Steven Ruggles were each presented the 2009 Warren E. Miller Award for Meritorious Service to the Social Sciences.

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Nancy McGovern Named SAA Fellow

By PamB

November 11, 2009

IASSIST member Nancy McGovern was recently inducted as a Fellow by the Society of American Archivists at its August meeting in Austin, Texas. SAA Fellow is an honor that recognizes outstanding contributions to the archival profession. Nancy has been Digital Preservation Officer (DPO) at ICPSRsince 2006 and brought a substantial record of accomplishment to her current position. She served as DPO and director of the Research and Assessment Services Department at Cornell University; Electronic Records Manager at Audata, Ltd.

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World Bank Launches New Data Website Rich with Features and Newly Free Data

Visualize It! with IMF Data Mapper

Workshop: Providing Social Science Data Services: Strategies for Design and Operation

Odds Are, It's Wrong Science fails to face the shortcomings of statistics

UKDA Director

IASSIST Quarterly 32 available on-line

US and UK governments embrace 'open data'

Chuck Humphrey elected Chair of DDI Expert Committee, Mari Kleemola new Vice Chair

Diane Geraci receives the 2009 Flanigan Award for Distinguished Service as an ICPSR Official Representative

Nancy McGovern Named SAA Fellow

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