If you’re a researcher who needs access to Stats Can data, the Dalhousie Libraries can help you access public-use microdata files, databases, and geographic files through Stats Canada’s Data Liberation Initiative (DLI). Statistics Canada’s website defines the DLI initiative as “a partnership between post-secondary institutions and Statistics Canada for improving access to Canadian data resources.”
Enhanced access to the DLI files for Dalhousie faculty, students, and researchers is provided through the Equinox interface from the University of Western Ontario. We also have access to the CANSIM and the Canadian Census interfaces through CHASS Data Centre at the University of Toronto. The federal government’s recently developed data portal data.gc.ca is also a good place to check for data.
Equinox allows the user to extract a smaller data set from a large file, such as getting information about Nova Scotia specifically from a data set for all of Canada, we can help with that. Gwendolyn MacNairn and Choi Chua are the new Dalhousie DLI representatives, a role previously filled by Phyllis Ross. Both Gwendolyn and Choi can assist with requests for data extraction.
If you want to do analysis on the data, most people use one of two statistical packages: SAS or SPSS. Choi Chua is our resident expert on both of these statistical packages. Choi has also been appointed to a national task force investigating replacements for the Equinox interface which will cease to be updated after December 31, 2014 and which will be retired in June 2015.
Our LibGuide on Data for the Social Sciences is a great place to look for more information about DLI and data research in general.