Helpful Links
Helpful Links
There is a wealth of information circulating about CRDCs and issues relating to conducting research in CRDCs. Click on the following links below to learn more about CRDCs and conducting research in them.
US Census Bureau's Website for the Center for Economic Studies (CES)
This is the main website for the Census' CRDC Network. It has a wealth of information on every aspect of Census Research Data Centers. It has so much information in fact it can be a bit overwhelming on first visit. But there are lots of good things available here if you are persistent in poking around in the nooks and crannies of the site. Much of the information on the TXCRDC site is distilled from information available at the CES site.
National Center for Health Statistics RDC Website
This is the main website for the NCHS RDC. It has a lot of good information. Much of the information here also is available at the CES website. And the NCHS data sets can be accessed from regular CRDCs in the CES-CRDC Network. But there are some things on the NCHS site that might be of particular interest to folks who are interested in using NCHS datasets for their projects. Just bear in mind that the rules and guidelines for using the NCHS RDC do not necessarily apply in a Census Research Data Center (CRDC). For example, costs of using the facility that are described at the NCHS site do not apply to CRDCs. Each will have its own approach to handling that issue.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/onsite_datacenter.jsp
This is the main website for the AHRQ RDC. It has a lot of good information. Some of the information here also is available at the CES website. But, as with the NCHS site, there also are some things that are useful to folks who are particularly interested in using AHRQ datasets for their projects.
Virtual RDC at Cornell
http://www.vrdc.cornell.edu/news/
The Virtual RDC at Cornell provides synthetic data which statistically approximates the data available in a Census Research Data Center. The value of the Virtual RDC is that it allows researchers to become accustomed to, and prepare for working in, the RDC environment without actually having to physically be in an RDC. It accomplishes this by providing datasets that have been created to simulate the restricted access data of interest, but in a "virtual" form that does not apply to real individuals and therefore can be made available for researchers to access from locations outside of the physical RDC facility.
One of the benefits of the Virtual RDC is that it allows users to write and refine analysis programs outside of the physical RDC facility. Once the programs are "ready for prime time", they can then be brought to the real (i.e., non-virtual) RDC and run on the actual restricted data. This makes it possible for researchers to do much of their preliminary programming in settings outside of the RDC that may be more convenient. It also allows the RDC itself to be used more efficiently since people do not need to spend as much time in the facility working on preliminary programming tasks.
Texas State Data Center
The Texas State Data Center is part of the State Data Center System, a national network of 52 centers (all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands), started in 1978. The goal of the State Data Center System is to increase the availability and accessibility of demographic census data to data users. The SDC program's mission is to provide easy and efficient access to U.S. Census Bureau data and information through a wide network of lead, coordinating and affiliate agencies in each state. To accomplish this mission, the SDCs work in partnership with the Census Bureau through the Customer Liaison Office (CLO) and the Regional Offices of the Census Bureau.
The SDCs are official sources of demographic, economic, and social statistics produced by the Census Bureau. These data are made available by the Census Bureau to the SDCs at no charge (fees may be charged for customized products). The SDCs make these data accessible to state, regional, local and tribal governments, and non-governmental data users at no charge or on a cost-recovery or reimbursable basis as appropriate. The SDCs also provide training and technical assistance in accessing and using Census Bureau data for research, administration, planning and decision making by local governments, the business community, and other interested data users.
ASA/NSF/Census Bureau Fellowship Program
http://www.census.gov/srd/www/fellweb.html
http://www.census.gov/srd/flyer.pdf
http://www.census.gov/srd/research.pdf
The links above provide access to the web page for the ASA/NSF Census Bureau Research Fellow Program, a brief flyer for the program, and a brochure describing the program in greater detail. The brochure states the following: "The ASA/NSF Census Bureau Research Fellow Program helps to bridge the gap between government and academic science. This approach brings researchers closer to the production of the data set s relevant to their research. The program allows senior statisticians, social scientists, computer scientists, geographers, and others to come to the U.S. Census Bureau as Research Fellows for a period of 6 to 12 months to use Census Bureau data sets and interact with Census Bureau staff. "Some of the access to data may be supplemented by use of the Census Bureau Research Data Centers."
Applicants for fellowships should have recognized research records and considerable expertise in their areas of proposed research. The proposed projects may be in any area related to Census Bureau methodology or data. Research topics of interest to the Census Bureau are cited in the above brochure. Examine the brochure for more information about the application process.