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Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency Sixth Edition (2017) / Chapter Skim
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Practice 5: Wide Dissemination of Data
Pages 85-88

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From page 85...
... In return, the information should be accessible in ways that make it as useful as possible to the largest number of users -- for decision making, program evaluation, scientific research, and public understanding. An effective dissemination program is comprised of a wide range of elements: • It should have an established publications policy, which describes, for a data collection program, the types of reports and other data releases to be made available, the formats to be used, the audience to be served, and the frequency of release.59 58 Data curation involves the management of data from collection and initial storage to archiving (or deletion should the data be deemed of no further use -- e.g., a data file that represents an initial stage of processing)
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From page 86...
... , user training should be provided through webinars, online tutorials, and sessions at appropriate conferences.60 • The program should include archiving policies that guide which data to retain, where they are to be archived (with the National Archives and Records Administration, or an established archive maintained by an academic or other nonprofit institution, or both) , and how they are to be accessible for future secondary analysis while protecting confidentiality.61 PUBLIC DATA PRODUCTS Data release of aggregate statistics may take the form of regularly updated time series, cross-tabulations of aggregated characteristics of No.
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From page 87...
... . The stunning improvements over the past three decades in computing speed, power, and storage capacity, the growing availability of information from a wide range of public and private sources on the Internet, and the increasing richness of statistical agency data collections have increased the risk that individually identifiable information can be obtained through reidentification of data thought to have been suitably protected (see Doyle et al., 2001; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017b:Ch.
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From page 88...
... currently located at two dozen universities and research organizations around the country. The FSRDC network began as a Census Bureau initiative and now includes data from other agencies.66 Statistical agencies should continually seek to enlarge their suite of restricted access methods and, for each, to reduce as much as possible the cost, time, and burden of access for users.
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Key Terms

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  • policy directive

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  • aggregate statistics
  • individual respondents
  • statistical policy
  • protected data

  • release dates
  • contain data
  • application programming
  • growing availability
  • data releases

  • agency data
  • includes data
  • archive maintained
  • richly detailed
  • custom applications

  • statistics holds
  • permit individual
  • understandable maps
  • similar functionality
  • dissemination involves

  • level information
  • similar media
  • records administration
  • access methods
  • data collections


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