Microdata Information System MISSY

Metadata for scientific research

ESRA Conference, Lausanne 2011

Jeanette Bohr

German Microdata Lab (GML)

GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim

OverviewService for official microdata

MISSY - Metadata for scientific research

Structure and application

Preparation process

Outlook

Service for official microdata Increasing accessibility of individual data from

official statistics for scientific research (Scientific Use Files)

Scientific service for the use of SUFs is required

German Microdata Lab (GML): offers comprehensive scientific services for the SUFs with focus on the German Microcensus*

* annual population sample containing structural population and labour market data for 1 percent of all households in Germany

MISSY - Metadata for scientific researchMISSY is an online information system that provides metadata for official microdata in a structured design

Facilitates professional and efficient use of official microdata for the social sciences

Provides comprehensive and systematically integrated documentation

At present MISSY contains detailed metadata for all available Microcensus Scientific Use Files (1973-

2008)

Content

Detailed information on variable level

Comparability of variables over time

Study descriptions and collection materials

Concepts, classifications and definitions

Setups and program routines (“microdata tools”)

Literature database

Structure

Links between related content (e.g. from variable information level to related documents)

Multiple pathways to relevant information:

Lists of variables

Thematic classifications

Variable-Time-Matrix

xml (previous year)

xml (updated) Setups (SPSS, Stata, SAS)

Raw Data

xml (statistics)xml (matched)

DDI 3 Editor RDBMS

MISSY Web:

Variable List

Thematic Classification

Variable-Time-Matrix

Variable Information

Print Version (PDF):

Data Handbook

Variable-& Valuelabels

Thematic List

additional Metadata

Preparation Process

Scientific use files(SPSS, Stata, SAS)

xml (Editor)

+

Outlook

Documentation of European microdata

Multilingual information (e.g. for question texts)

Information on country level (e.g. anonymisation)

Further use of metadata in other systems

Open Source Software

Outlook

2003 2013

MISSY I

(2003-2006)

User study MISSY II

(2008-2009)

Updating MISSY III

(2011-2013)

Pilot project

MC 1995 & 1997

<DDI 2>

Usability & comprehensibilty

testing

Technical re-implementaion

Integration of metadata for

MC 1973 to 2005

<DDI 3>

MC 2006 to 2008

Improving the preparation

process

Documentation of European microdata

MC 2009 ff.

Thank you for your attention!

jeanette.bohr@gesis.org

www.gesis.org/missy