Ontario Data Documentation, Extraction Service
and Infrastructure
Overview
< What is <odesi>?
< How it came to be,
< Funding,
< Project achievements,
< and
< The project’s next steps.
<odesi> what it is…
< <odesi> is a centralised, standardised
web-based data exploration/extraction
system delivered through Scholars Portal
< it is the only provincially available tool that
allows the user to search multiple datasets
at the variable level
Researchers
<odesi> Search Layer
<odesi>
Metadata
CORA
ICPSR
Metadata
Metadata
<odesi> Nesstar CORA Nesstar
Metadata
Data
Metadata
a
Data
ICPSR Archive
Metadata
Data
You only have to search in one location…
Data holdings of <odesi>
< Statistics Canada DLI files
•
•
•
•
•
Census
Public-use Microdata Files (PUMF)
Special Surveys,
General Social Surveys (GSS)
Health (CTUMS)
< Public Opinion Polls (e.g. Gallup & IPSOS
Reid)
< currently, have over 9392 files in <odesi>
How it came to be…
< In 2005, the Data IN Ontario (DINO)
working group of OCUL (Ontario
Council of University Libraries) started
thinking about moving beyond ‘homegrown’ data solutions,
< DDI was being recognised as a coding
standard,
< Data users were interested in building a
province-wide data solution.
< Nesstar became available and suddenly there was a
viable tool with which to create a centralised data
portal
< Norwegian Social Science Data Services” -Networked Social Science Tools and Resources
< was already in use in Europe, UK, US, Canada
< In Ontario: Queens, Guelph, Carleton, Windsor,
Ottawa, U. of T. and Statistics Canada use Nesstar
The <odesi> partnerships
< Partnerships were developed through data
groups such as Data IN Ontario (DINO)
working group of OCUL (Ontario Council of
University Libraries)
< Ontario Universities (Guelph, Carleton,
< Scholars Portal
< DDI Alliance
< Data providers: Statistics Canada, Wilfrid
Laurier University (IPSOS Reid)
Funding background
< the <odesi> planning group went to the
BPS Supply Chain Secretariat, Ontario
Ministry of Finance in the hopes of finding
funding.
< <odesi> in the end secured funding from
the Ontario Ministry of Finance’s
OntarioBuys program.
Funding background
<odesi> is now a jointly funded project
between the Ontario Council of University
Libraries (OCUL) and OntarioBuys (BPS
Supply Chain Secretariat, Ontario Ministry
of Finance)
< $1.04M including “in kind” contributions of
datasets and facilities
OCUL &
Ontario
Buys
DDI
Standard
Commercial
Software
Scholars
Portal
Ontario Data Documentation, Extraction Service and Infrastructure Initiative
Project achievements
In 2007, a team was struck, a Project
Manager was hired.
In 2008, hardware/software were purchased
through Scholars Portal.
Project achievements
<odesi> was launched on Scholars
Portal March 4, 2008
< negotiated access to the IPSOS Reid files
at LISPOP for use on <odesi>
< extended the <odesi> co-op program to
other universities funding students at
Wilfrid Laurier University, University of
Ottawa, Laurentian & Western Universities
Project achievements
< Lead institutions in <ODESI> are Carleton and
Guelph, with in-kind assistance from Queen’s
University.
< First step was developing a Canadian ‘best
practices’ document for cataloguing data files using
DDI – analogous to AACR2 for MARC.
< Next, survey files were ‘marked up’ (catalogued)
and loaded onto a test server at Guelph.
< The team at Scholars Portal is working with
<ODESI> to establish a data server and load data
files.
Project achievements
< working with University of Ottawa to mark
up STC files in French
< hiring a programmer at Scholars Portal to
further improve the site (French instance,
Federated Identity Management …)
< completed the Best Practice Document for
DDI data coding in both French and
English.
Project achievements
< engaged in many promotional activities
• created <odesi> brands
• purchased promotional materials (pens & post-it
pads…)
• producing a bilingual brochure
• article in the OCULA Winter Newsletter
• presentation at OLA, CLA, IFLA , IASSIST……
< extended the contract with our <odesi>
developers for another year
Next steps
< seek new datasets
• Province of Ontario Data
• ICPSR
< creating a suite of tutorials and other
training materials
< investigate providing access to <odesi> to
the wider education sector (colleges &
CREPUQ)
< work toward creating a national coordination committee for DDI projects in
Canada
Next Steps
< investigate using <odesi> as a depository
for Ontario research data
< explore links with CARL and CISTI in the
aim of creating a national data archive
< explore international links e.g. CESSDA,
IFDO
Contact
An intuitive data portal for researchers,
teachers and students; inspiring,
developing and supporting research
excellence.
< <odesi> inspires, develops and supports research
excellence in the academic environment.
For more information contact
Paula Hurtubise, <odesi> Project Manager @
paula_hurtubise@carleton.ca or visit
www.odesi.ca