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Administrative and Survey Files for Research Purposes

NTTS 2009

Line BeauchesneInstitut de la statistique du Québec

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Presentation outline

• Background

• General description– Submission of researcher’s request– Processing of researcher’s request– Remote access to research file– Environment and Development– Added values

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Background

• In recent years, the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ), the official statistical agency of the province of Québec (Canada) has been faced with:– An increase in demand for statistical

information and a growing diversity of users– Users, particularly researchers, who are

increasingly seeking access to microdata files they can process themselves

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Background (cont.)

• In 2004, a partnership project with a network of researchers and other government agencies was launched

• Access by researchers to confidential information taken from administrative files is a complex process when the information is requested from different holder agencies

• The ISQ was chosen to host the service platform

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General description

• The service platform is not a data warehouse

• The service is accessible by means of an Internet portal, through which researchers can submit their requests, follow up on them, and make remote use of the research files

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Submission of researcher’s request

• To help the researcher formulate his request, there is a search engine on the Internet portal that can consult the dictionary in order to obtain information on a specific data source or a holder of information – It is also possible to search by keyword, year of

data source, categories or data source owner

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Processing of researcher’s request

Create the research file:

1-Linkage of administrative or survey files

2-Control the risk of disclosing confidential information

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Remote access to research file

• High-level security measures for authentication of the researcher are required

• It is not possible for the researcher to download or print the data or results of his analyses

• The user’s work session is recorded and can be studied at any time (in real or delayed time)

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Environment & Development

• Products used: – Oracle Fusion Middleware 10G (AS and BPEL,

Collaboration Suite, DB)

– Suze Linux

• APIs used:– Oracle ADF, Oracle BPEL, Jasper Reports, JAAS,

XML, PL/SQL

• Development tools used:– Oracle Jdeveloper, Tortoise, DMS Loading Tool

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Added values

• The new service:– Facilitates research

– Gives new means to the researchers

– Accelerates the current access process

– Provides networking of knowledge and expertise

– Facilitates standardization

• The location of the service platform at the ISQ provides guarantees that the confidentiality and security of the data will be ensured, given our legal oversight (statistical secrecy) and normative framework in that regard

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www.epsebe.ca

• For further information contact:line.beauchesne@stat.gouv.qc.ca

• Institut de la statistique du Québec, Canada

www.stat.gouv.qc.ca