Geolinking Service SoRa – Development of the Social-Spatial Science Research Data Infrastructure: FAIR, Smart, Inclusive

The interdisciplinary linking of social and spatial data holds great potential but faces significant infrastructural, legal, and methodological challenges. The SoRa+ project aims to develop a sustainable and privacy-compliant research data infrastructure that bridges this gap, enabling the seamless integration of social science survey data with georeferenced spatial data. Building on established infrastructures such as the IOER-Monitor, ALLBUS, and SOEP, SoRa provides researchers with tools to explore complex, interdisciplinary questions at the intersection of social and spatial sciences.

A key innovation of SoRa is its support for the entire analysis process involving geocoded survey data. This includes data preparation, linking, and analysis workflows, all within a secure environment. The infrastructure’s components include a user module, a public/private API, and a Geolinking API. Prototypes for these components have been developed, along with R and Stata packages for facilitating efficient research workflows. Several geolinking methods will be offered, like point-to-point, buffer or isochrone-based linking, or routing to nearest Point of Interest (such hospital, school or doctor).

Additionally, SoRa enables researchers to prepare their analysis by using structural datasets that replicate spatial distributions without exposing sensitive data. These datasets, tailored to specific survey datasets, allow workflow testing and initial exploration before accessing secure environments.

This presentation will showcase the project’s progress, from defining infrastructure components to developing prototypes and implementing privacy-preserving features. If possible, a live demo will be shown that demonstrates how SoRa can be used to enhance social-spatial research applications. By advancing FAIR, smart, and inclusive data linking, SoRa sets a robust foundation for interdisciplinary social-spatial research, empowering researchers to address innovative and data-driven questions effectively.