This document provides an overview of several data resources and services available through EDINA and the National Data Service in the UK. It summarizes the Data Library which houses large-scale survey, census and other data. It also describes the Applied Quantitative Methods Network (AQMeN) which provides data analysis tools, software and teaching resources. Finally, it briefly outlines additional data services including EDINA, UKBORDERS, Digimap, the UK Data Archive and Economic and Social Data Service.

1. Introduction EDINA & National
Data Services
http://edina.ac.uk/
Stuart Macdonald
NCSR Survey Skills Programme
5 & 6 October, 2010

2. Data Library - http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/data-library

3. Data Library Resources
 Large-scale social science survey data
 Country and regional level time series data
 Population and Agricultural Census data
 Data for mapping
 Resources for teaching
 Opening hours - 9.30am – 5.30pm (Tues & Thurs)
5 Buccleuch Place, 2nd
floor
Tel.: 0131 651 1431 or 0131 651 1744
Email: datalib@ed.ac.uk

4. Applied Quantitative Methods Network (AQMeN) - http://aqmen.ac.uk/
 The Applied Quantitative Methods Network (AQMeN) is led by a
team of academics from eight Universities in Scotland. It is a three
year project funded jointly by the ESRC and the Scottish Funding
Council (SFC) as part of the ESRC Quantitative Methods Initiative.
 The main objective is to build capacity in the use of quantitative
methods amongst the social science community in Scotland and
beyond.
 Data Library host and manage the AQMeN website
 AQMeN provide access to: data analysis tools; software; teaching
resources; data resources, research skills, communication and
dissemination resources
 Plus links to training & events and an online discussion forum

5. • Mission statement: “..to enhance the productivity of research,
learning and teaching in UK higher and further education..”
• Networked access to a range of online resources for UK FE and HE
• Services free at the point of use for use by staff and students in
learning, teaching and research through institutional subscription
• Focus is on service but also undertake R&D (projects  services)
 delivers about 20 online services
 has about 10 major projects (including services in development)
 employs about 80 staff (Edinburgh & St Helens)
EDINA National Data Centre – http://edina.ac.uk

6. UKBORDERS – http://edina.ac.uk/ukborders/

7. EDINA Digimap - http://digimap.edina.ac.uk/

8. UK Data Archive –
http://www.data-rchive.ac.uk/
Founded in 1967 and based at the University of Essex
ESRC / JISC-funded
Houses several thousand social science and humanities datasets
Provides resource discovery and support for secondary use of
quantitative and qualitative data in learning, teaching and research.
More recently it has worked with environmental and medical data
sources.
Services provided include:
• Economic and Social Data Service
• History Data Service
• UK Census portal
• Secure Data Service
• Survey Question Bank

9. The ESDS is a distributed service, based on a collaboration between four key
centres of expertise:
• UK Data Archive (UKDA), University of Essex
• Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) , University of Essex
• Manchester Information and Associated Services (MIMAS), University of
Manchester
• Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR), University of
Manchester
It provides an integrated service offering enhanced support for the secondary use of
qualitative and quantitative data across the research, learning and teaching communities
Economic and Social Data Service
- http://www.esds.ac.uk/

10. The Samples of Anonymised Records (SARs) are a
sample of individual person-level records drawn from
the 1991 and 2001 Census databases that have been
anonymised. Each file contains a broad range of socio-
demographic characteristics for respondents.
Interaction data involve flows of individuals in the UK between origins and
destinations. These flows are either the residential migrations of
individuals from one place of usual residence to another or of commuters
making journeys from home to workplace via CIDER
Longitudinal studies are data sources that
contain observations of the same research
units over a period of time – e.g. ONS
Longitudinal Study of England and Wales,
Scottish Longitudinal Study – linking census
data to vital statistics via CELSIUS

11. Pics from Flickr (creative commons attribution) – credits
include: D Sharon Pruitt
Thank You
stuart.macdonald@ed.ac.uk
datalib@ed.ac.uk