New Sensitive Data Tools

October 21, 2020

The Sensitive Data Expert Group of the Portage Network is pleased to announce the publication of three new tools for researchers relating to the management of sensitive research data:

• a Glossary of Terms for Sensitive Data used for Research Purposes,
• a Human Participant Research Data Risk Matrix,
• and a document providing samples of Research Data Management Language for Informed Consent

These tools were created to help researchers understand how research data are related to the research ethics process, and to advance research data management (RDM) practices, such as data sharing and deposit, in the context of existing research ethics frameworks. The three tools are intended to work together as a suite of resources, but can also be used individually. All the tools are available in English and French.

The Portage Network’s Sensitive Data Expert Group has broad membership from research stakeholder communities - including research ethics professionals, representatives of funding agencies, and members of Indigenous organizations - with direct interests in sensitive research data. The group works together to develop practical guidance and tools for managing sensitive data in the Canadian landscape.

For more information, please contact Victoria Smith, Policy, Privacy, & Sensitive Data Coordinator, victoria.smith@carl-abrc.ca.

StatCan Data Literacy Training Videos

September 30, 2020

In today’s rich data environment, understanding data is becoming more important for everyone. As Canada’s national statistical agency, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise to help all Canadians develop the knowledge and skills they need to use and better understand data to inform their everyday lives and decisions.

 

That is why on September 23, 2020, Statistics Canada released the Data Literacy Training Initiative, which provides a wealth of resources for those who are new to data or who have some experience with data, but may need a refresher or want to expand their knowledge.

 

The goal is to provide learners with basic concepts and skills on a broad range of topics, from understanding data to data quality.

 

Check out our Data Literacy resources here, and tell us how we can better serve your learning by filling out our feedback form at the end of every video. Or, send us comments at: Training.

 

Be sure to check back regularly for new training releases as we continue to unlock the power of data for evidence-based decision making in our country.

 

We sincerely hope that your organization finds these resources useful. We thank you for your support in helping us deliver insight through data for a better Canada.

Outreach Program / Collection and Regional Services Branch

Statistics Canada / Government of Canada

statcan.outreachontario-rayonnementontario.statcan@canada.ca / Tel: 416-756-0881

New RDM Guidance from the Portage COVID-19 Working Group

 September 30, 2020

The Portage Network is very pleased to announce the publication of five new guidance documents from the Portage COVID-19 Working Group. These guidance documents were developed to help support research data management in accordance with the RDA COVID-19 Guidelines and Recommendations. 

• Guide to COVID-19 Rapid Response Data Sharing and Deposit for Canadian Researchers
  This guidance is for researchers who need to prepare data for deposit in accordance with the Joint statement on sharing research data and findings relevant to the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak.
• Can I Share My Data?
  This decision tree is designed to help alert researchers to situations where human participant data would need to be anonymized or de-identified before being deposited into a repository. It relies heavily on the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2018) which addresses consent and secondary use of information for research purposes.
• De-identification Guidance
  This guidance is intended to help researchers minimize disclosure risk when sharing data collected from human participants.
• Documentation and Supporting Material Required for Deposit
  A brief guide outlining key materials for depositing data in a repository.
• Recommended Repositories for COVID-19 Research Data
  This document is designed to help researchers select a repository that will provide immediate and long-term access to their COVID-19 data.

Portage will be hosting a community call to discuss how these new resources can help researchers, librarians, and others better manage COVID-19 related research data. More information, including date and registration, will be announced shortly.

The Portage COVID-19 Working Group was initiated in late March 2020 to create guidance for Canadian researchers who are generating or working with COVID-19 related data, and for librarians and others who support them. Membership in the Group spanned institutions from across Canada, and was led by Portage Curation Coordinator Erin Clary, Preservation Coordinator Beth Knazook, and former Training Coordinator Melanie Parlette-Stewart.

In addition to the publications above, the Group also collaborated with the broader data management community to gather Canadian COVID-19 related resources — including sources of data or statistics on COVID-19 and RDM-related resources and links — for inclusion in the international  OpenAIRE COVID-19 Gateway. 

For more information about the Portage COVID-19 Working Group or its initiatives, please contact erin.clary@carl-abrc.ca.

August 2020 PCCF

September 21, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following product is now available.

 

Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) August 2020

Note:

• A small number of new postal codes^OM are linked to a census subdivision only. These new postal codes^OM do not yet link to Statistics Canada's geographic frame. Linkage below the census subdivision will appear on these records when the street and address information becomes available on the geographic frame. This new linkage will appear on subsequent releases of the PCCF.
• The term population centre will replace the term urban area. A population centre will be defined as an area with a population of at least 1,000 and a density of 400 or more people per square kilometre. All areas outside population centres will continue to be defined as rural area. This new terminology will be implemented consistently across the Agency.
• Population centres will be divided into three groups based on the size of their population to reflect the existence of an urban-rural continuum:
• small population centres, with a population of between 1,000 and 29,999;
• medium population centres, with a population of between 30,000 and 99,999;
• large urban population centres, consisting of a population of 100,000 and over.
• Population centre and rural area classification has been added to the file.

EFT: /MAD_PCCF_FCCP_DAM/Root/2016/pccf-fccp/pccf_2020_08_fccp

New file on Statistics Canada Nesstar

 September 14, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following is now available on the Statistics Canada Nesstar WebView site.

• Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians – Living with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities (ICC-LLTCD) 2020, Crowdsource file, PUMF

StatCan datasets available to the public in Abacus

 September 8, 2020

The University of British Columbia is excited to announce that an upgrade to the Abacus data repository has made more than 1000 Statistics Canada datasets available to the public under the terms of the Statistics Canada Open License. Anyone may search and download these datasets from the Abacus Open data collection: https://abacus.library.ubc.ca/dataverse/open

 

Abacus is a repository of open and licensed data hosted by UBC and shared by SFU, UBC, UNBC, and UVic. The recent upgrade involved reorganizing the repository to take advantage of the Statistics Canada Open License which has governed most Statistics Canada data products since October 2018, including PUMFs. The terms of the open license allow anyone to “use, reproduce, publish, and freely distribute” the data. End users are shown the license text before downloading from Abacus but a login is not required.

 

Datasets from the Abacus Open data collection will also be discoverable in FRDR beginning in October 2020.

Question:

Is the plan to add new PUMF's as they are released?

Answer:

Yes, we will add new PUMFs to the open data repository as they become available, usually within a few days of release.

 

New Release - ICC Version 6- Living with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities 2020

September 8, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following product is now available.

 

Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians – Living with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities (ICC-LLTCD) 2020, Crowdsource file, PUMF

 

Starting April 3, 2020, Statistics Canada will conduct a collection series on the Impacts of the COVID-19 on Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians. It is therefore necessary to quickly gather information to help understand its impacts on the physical and mental health of individuals, as well as on their social and employment circumstances.

This information will be used by government organizations, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, and other types of organizations to evaluate the need for health and social services, as well as economic support during and after the pandemic.

 

EFT: /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5323_ICC-RCC/Version 6

New Release - ICC Version 5: Parenting During the Pandemic 2020

August 18, 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians – Parenting During the Pandemic (ICC-PDP) 2020, Crowdsource file PUMF

 

Starting April 3, 2020, Statistics Canada will conduct a collection series on the Impacts of the COVID-19 on Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians. It is therefore necessary to quickly gather information to help understand its impacts on the physical and mental health of individuals, as well as on their social and employment circumstances.

This information will be used by government organizations, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, and other types of organizations to evaluate the need for health and social services, as well as economic support during and after the pandemic.

 

EFT:  /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5323_ICC-RCC/Version 5

New file on Statistics Canada Nesstar

August 18, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following is now available on the Statistics Canada Nesstar WebView site.

 

• Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians – Parenting During the Pandemic (ICC-PDP) 2020, Crowdsource file, PUMF, Version 5

Definition of Essential Worker

August 20, 2020

Question:
I have a query from a researcher working on the impact of COVID-19 on women: 

Does Statistics Canada had a standard definition of "frontline" or "essential" workers during this pandemic, or of the "caring economy"? If yes, what are the accompanying NAICS codes used in that data collection?

Answer:
We have no formal definition but here is what is being collected through the Survey of COVID-19 and Mental Health (which will be in collection in late fall):

• During the reference week, we asked the question, “were you considered an essential worker?”
• An essential worker is defined as an individual who works in a service, facility or in an activity that is necessary to preserving life, health, public safety and basic societal functions of Canadians.

However, this question does not necessarily connect to a specific set of industry codes according to NAICS.

Looking for Economic Region variable in LFS PUMFs

August 13, 2020

Question:

A researcher would like to analyze labour force activity in Nanaimo by gender, since the beginning of 2020.  They are ok with expanding the geography to the relevant Economic Region (Vancouver Island and Coast, British Columbia ).  There are a couple of tables that come close, but don't offer gender breakdowns, e.g. "Labour force characteristics by economic region, three-month moving average, unadjusted for seasonality, last 5 months".

I downloaded the Jan - July 2020 LFS PUMF files for them, plus documentation, but they don't include a variable for Economic Region.  The pumf variable layout file, and the pumfs themselves, only indicate two geography variables: province and CMA.  The guide/codebook does indicate economic region (Nanaimo is in 5910= Vancouver Isld and Coast Region).  Also Geographic Location attributes, including ERs, are included in the LFS variable lists on the StatCan website (e.g. https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=assembleDESurv&DECId=113939&RepClass=588&Id=1282527&DFId=180392).

It's not that the variable is there but the data are suppressed in the PUMF - the variable just isn't there at all.

Is it possible that a variable for ER is included in the LFS master file, but not  the PUMF?  Or, that detailed geography data points are collected in a different file and used by StatCan to produce the estimates tables, but aren't actually part of the LFS microdata? 

Any suggestions for us on how we could use the LFS for this ER analysis, or alternative sources, would be most welcome!

Answer:
You are correct:

1. Economic Regions (ER) are not available in the LFS PUMF.

2. None of the online CODR LFS tables have Economic Regions by sex.

The sole alternative would be to produce a custom tabulation for which, in this case, based on the client's sought specifications, there would typically be an associated cost of $154.48.

New Release - CPSS Series 3

July 30, 2020

Canadian Perspective Survey Series 3 - Resuming Economic and Social Activities During COVID-19 (CPSS-COVID), 2020 PUMF

 

In order to implement this survey rapidly, it will be conducted online only, among those who volunteered to participate in the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (CPSS). Each survey in the series will take place approximately every month, with collection lasting approximately a week. Each respondent will participate in several short online surveys over the period of about a year. The CPSS is designed to produce data at a national level (excluding the territories).

Initially, the CPSS focused on topics related to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadians. Other topics will also be added to the series to meet the emerging data needs of a variety of users.

Information collected may be used by government organizations at all levels, as well as other types of organizations, to inform the delivery of services and support to Canadians, during and after the pandemic and to inform policy on a wide variety of other social and economic issues.

 

 

EFT: /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5311_CPSS-SEPC/Series 3

New Release: ICC Version 4 - Trust in Others 2020

July 16, 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians – Trust in Others (ICC-TIO) 2020, Crowdsource file PUMF

 

Starting April 3, 2020, Statistics Canada will conduct a collection series on the Impacts of the COVID-19 on Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians. It is therefore necessary to quickly gather information to help understand its impacts on the physical and mental health of individuals, as well as on their social and employment circumstances.

This information will be used by government organizations, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, and other types of organizations to evaluate the need for health and social services, as well as economic support during and after the pandemic.

 

EFT:  /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5323_ICC-RCC/Version 4

New file on Statistics Canada Nesstar

July 13, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following is now available on the Statistics Canada Nesstar WebView site.

 

• Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians – Perceptions of Safety (ICC-PS) 2020, Crowdsource file, PUMF, Version 3

New files on Statistics Canada Nesstar

 July 3, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following is now available on the Statistics Canada Nesstar WebView site.

• Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on postsecondary students (ICPPS) 2020, Crowdsource file, PUMF

New Collection Series: (ICC-PS) 2020

June 30, 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians – Perceptions of Safety (ICC-PS) 2020, Crowdsource file PUMF

Starting April 3, 2020, Statistics Canada will conduct a collection series on the Impacts of the COVID-19 on Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians. It is therefore necessary to quickly gather information to help understand its impacts on the physical and mental health of individuals, as well as on their social and employment circumstances.

This information will be used by government organizations, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, and other types of organizations to evaluate the need for health and social services, as well as economic support during and after the pandemic.

 

EFT:  /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5311_ICC-RCC/Version 3

Canadian Data Curation Forum Final Report Available Now

June 15, 2020

Canadian Data Curation Forum Final Report Available Now

Portage is pleased to have published the Final Report from the Canadian Data Curation Forum (CDCF), held in October 2019. The report includes suggestions for a national approach to data curation services in Canada. These suggestions are representative of the perspectives voiced at the Community-Building Forum at CDCF. This SSHRC-funded event was a collaboration between CARL Portage and McMaster University Library. It brought together library data specialists, research data managers, as well as discipline and functional experts from a range of institutions and organizations to identify the current challenges of research data curation and ways in which a national approach could address data curation needs and support best practices.

Read the report in English and French

New Release: ICC-MH 2020

June 12, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following product is now available.

 

Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Mental Health (ICC-MH) 2020, Crowdsource file

 

Starting April 24, 2020, Statistics Canada will conduct a collection series on the Impacts of the COVID-19 on Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians. It is therefore necessary to quickly gather information to help understand its impacts on the physical and mental health of individuals, as well as on their social and employment circumstances.

This information will be used by government organizations, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, and other types of organizations to evaluate the need for health and social services, as well as economic support during and after the pandemic.

 

EFT:  /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5311_ICC-RCC/Version 2

New Release: CPSS-COVID, 2020

June 24, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following product is now available:

 

Canadian Perspective Survey Series 2 - Monitoring the Effects of COVID-19 (CPSS-COVID), 2020 PUMF

 

From May 4 to May 10 2020, Statistics Canada will conduct the Monitoring the Effects of COVID-19 survey. In order to implement this survey rapidly, it will be conducted online only, among those who volunteered to participate in the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (CPSS). This survey will be the second of the CPSS.

The social and economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt and are disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians. Statistics Canada remains committed to collecting data in response to the urgent need for information and to help understand the impacts on the daily lives of people like you across Canada. This short survey will cover a number of important topics including: the impacts of COVID-19 on food security and mental health of individuals, and on their social and employment circumstances.

This information will be used by government organizations, such as Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, and other types of organizations, to evaluate the need for health and social services, as well as economic support during and after the pandemic.

 

EFT: /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5311_CPSS-SEPC/Series 2

New Release: ICPPS 2020

June 24, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following product is now available.

 

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on postsecondary students (ICPPS) 2020, Crowdsource file, PUMF

 

From April 19 to May 1, 2020, Statistics Canada will conduct a crowdsourcing data collection on the Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on postsecondary students (ICPPS).

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians, including those of postsecondary students. It is therefore necessary to quickly gather information to help understand its impacts on postsecondary students, their education and the impact on the labour market and the ability of students to integrate into it.

These data will be used by government organizations, education institutions and Canadians alike, providing them with the information they need to respond to, and recover from, this pandemic.

In order to implement this crowdsourcing data collection rapidly, it will be conducted online only. Postsecondary students may be invited by their respective postsecondary institution to participate in the Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on postsecondary students crowdsourcing initiative. Participants may also be recruited through social media, personal social connections, student associations or other academic organizations.

 

EFT:  /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5320_ICPPS_RCENP

New Release: ICC 2020

June 10, 2020

We are pleased to inform you that the following product is now available. 

Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians (ICC) 2020, Crowdsource File

 

From April 3, 2020, Statistics Canada will conduct the survey on the Impacts of the COVID-19 on Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians. It is therefore necessary to quickly gather information to help understand its impacts on the physical and mental health of individuals, as well as on their social and employment circumstances.

This information will be used by government organizations, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, and other types of organizations to evaluate the need for health and social services, as well as economic support during and after the pandemic.

In order to implement this survey rapidly, it will be conducted online only. Respondents will also be asked if they would like to volunteer to participate in the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (CPSS). The CPSS involves creating a pool of people who agree to complete about six very short online surveys over a period of one year (about one every two months). The CPSS aims at understanding social issues more rapidly, while reducing the cost of collecting data.

 

EFT:  /MAD_PUMF_FMGD_DAM/Root/5311_ICC-RCC/Version 1

New FRDR Instructional Video Series

June 8, 2020

Portage has released several new instructional videos for the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR). These short introductory training videos are intended for researchers, data professionals, librarians, and anyone else who is getting started with FRDR and who would like to learn the basics of using the service, setting up an account, and uploading and downloading datasets using Globus File Transfer. Watch the videos by clicking on the titles below:

• What is FRDR and Why Should I use it?
  
• Get a Globus Account
  
• Download a Dataset
  
• Upload a Dataset
  

The videos are all available on CARL’s YouTube channel. Audio is in English, with optional French subtitles. If you have questions about FRDR or would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact support@frdr-dfdr.ca.