Creating a National Remote Access
System for Register-based Research
Marianne Johnson, Statistics Finland
Statistical Data Confidentiality Work Session Oct 2015
Finnish administrative registers
• several comprehensive national registers
• contain unit level data on individuals, families, housing,
enterprises
• compiled and maintained for administrative or statistical
purposes, e.g.
– Population Register Centre (VRK)
– Population information system
– Social Insurance Institution (KELA)
– Registers on obtained social benefits
– National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
– Medical Birth Register,
– Care Registers for Social Welfare and Health Care (HILMO),
– Finnish Cancer Register
– Ministry of Labour (TEM)
– Register over job seekers
– Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus)
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Secondary usage of administrative registers
• Production of official statistics is to a large extent based on
registers in Finland
- the population and housing census has been
based totally on register sources since 1990
- Handbook: Use of Registers and Administrative
Data Sources for Statistical Purposes – Best Practices of
Statistics Finland
• Register-based research
– 20 % of doctoral thesis’ within medicine in Finland include
data from national registers
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Prerequisites for register-based research
• Common personal identification number in all registers
– first used in 1964 ( between 1964-1970 two different systems)
– since 1971 a digital population register
– all Finns have a PIN
 data from different registers can be linked by PIN e.g.
for research purposes
• Legislation that allows the use of confidential personal data for
scientific research
• Trust in register keepers and researchers
• Comprehensive, well documented registers
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Legislative basis for research use of data
from Statistics Finland
－ Statistics Act (280/2004)
－ In 2013 the Statistics Act was amended to better facilitate the use
of data gathered at Statistics Finland for research purposes.
－ New objective of the Act
– To extend the use of the data collected for statistical
purposes in scientific studies and statistical surveys on
social conditions.
－ Possibility for researchers to gain access to confidential data
from which only the direct identifiers have been removed.
– Before 2013 statistical authorities could not give permission
to such confidential data from which the statistical unit could
be indirectly identified.
– Gain access = see and analyze data by a remote access system
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Remote access system (FIONA)
－ In use at Statistics Finland since 2009, development project 2014-2015
－ Model taken from Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands
－ Researchers use data on Statistics Finland’s server at their own
workplace via a secured Internet connection, data remains at SF
－ Researchers use a Windows remote desktop, and have access to the
data they have obtained permission to as well as to metadata
－ The researchers have access to wide range of statistical programs :
STATA, SPSS, R, SAS, Python Anaconda, …
－ Each research project has its dedicated folders and storage space in the
system
－ Technical maintenance of the FIONA-system transferred to CSC-It Centre
for Science in 2015
－ Number of users and data sets in the remote access system is growing
steadily, currently about 150 active users
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Confidentiality
－ Research data sets are stored on Statistics Finland’s /CSC’s
servers
－ Only mouse, keyboard and graphic signals are transferred
－ Access to the system only from preapproved IP-addresses
－ A disposable SMS password is sent each time the researcher
logs in to FIONA
－ All data transfers from and to FIONA are handled by personnel at
the Researcher Services of SF
– Outputs are checked so that direct or indirect identification is
not possible and files are saved for possible future reference
－ Access to data is terminated when the permit for the project
expires
－ FIONA environment is separated from the production network
－ The system will be audited in fall 2015 after being transferred to
CSC
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A typical process in applying for sensitive
research data
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A researcher applies
for a licence to
access data for a
research project
The application must
include a research
plan and a pledge of
secrecy
The Ethics Committee
is consulted in cases
involving large
datasets with
confidential data
If the data can be given
out the licence is
granted (possibly with
modifications)
A contract is signed
specifying the dataset
and the fee as well as
the date of delivery
The data is put
together, edited and
uploaded to the remote
access system
The researcher uses
a remote connection
to analyse the data
and sends the results
to Research Services
The results are
checked to make
sure that no units
(persons, companies)
can be identified
The results are sent
to the researcher and
they can be used in
publications
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Present process for obtaining register data for
research
Searching for data sets
and applying for permits
from several different
authorities, with varying
practices
RESEARCHER
Researcher responsible
of data security and
disposal of data sets
Delivering data using
varying practices
Possible
corrections and
re-sending
§
@
Authority
@
§
Internet
§
§@
Authority
@
Authority
Data
protection
Authority
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•Handling permit applications
•Control and specification
•Compiling data-sets
Statistics
Finland
§
Statitics Finland /Researcher Services
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Researcher
FMAS
Remote access system
Services that require permit
Services that require
registration
• Remote desktop for
analysing data (programs and
tools)
• Separated server space for
data and metadata
• Output service for results,
Input service for researcher’s
data
• Centralized digital permit
application service
Interface service for data
and meta data,
Pseudonymization
Organization A
Public services
Organization B
• Data catalogue
• Helpdesk for research and
tuition
Administration services for
user rights
Organization C
Organization D
Organization E
- Commonly agreed metadata standards
– Data
warehouse
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/Researcher
Services - Archive of multiple user files
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Linking data from different sources
－ Present method
– Register keepers send the data requested by the researcher
over a secure connection , by recommended mail, with courier
services etc. to Statistics Finland
– The data includes the Finnish PIN or BIN ( or a pseudocode
created by the register keeper and the key is sent separately)
– Statistics Finland creates a project specific pseudocode,
changes the PIN (BIN) in the research data sets and uploads
the data in the remote access system
－ Aim
– Pseudocodes should be used in all data deliveries
– Register keepers should be able to upload their data direct to
the remote access system using a standard
pseudonymization method
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Pseudonymization –project specific
FIONA
nvaoepanwzl, age 15
bleokldawgs, age 44
nvaoepanwzl, woman
bleokldawgs, man
Statistics Finland
Common9843
Project
211
Project 211
123456-111A, woman
234567-222C, man
Other registerkeeper
Common9843
123456-111A, age 15
Project 211
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234567-222C, age 44
Statitics Finland /Researcher Services
De-identification
Deidentification
nvaoepanwzl, woman
bleokldawgs, man
nvaoepanwzl, age 15
bleokldawgs, age 44
To be developed….
－ We see a problem with the set pseudocodes of the ’ready-made’
data files
• Solution 1: Create project specific pseudocode also for
projects that use the ’ready made’
– Problem: A copy of ’ready made’ data sets has to be
made for each project -> much excessive disc space
is needed
• Solution 2: Send the seed code that has been used for the
’ready made’ files to the other register keepers
– Problem: The key PIN /BIN - pseudocode used by
Statistics Finland will be widely known
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