The Institute for Social Capital, Inc. (ISC) is a mature, university-based integrated data system (IDS) that was established in 2004 and became incorporated as a legal entity in 2005. ISC exists to advance university research and to increase the community’s capacity for data-informed decision-making. In its 13 years as a secure repository for administrative data […]
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The Silicon Valley Regional Data Trust is a unique initiative, distinguished by the lead role of public education, an intentional focus on trust-building and planned change, and cross-county data sharing among public schools, health and human services organizations, and juvenile justice systems.
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Integrated data systems require administrative processes to be successful when sharing data. Below are IDS research administration activities: Logging in research requests Tracking the progress of a research request through the approval process Documenting data use agreements (DUAs) and required data security certifications Training on the handling of sensitive data Reporting back results to data
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Integrated data systems exist in order to because providers, researchers, and executive leaders come together with the goal of answering complex questions about how social services can more effectively and efficiently meet the needs of the public. Because of this, integrating data is a process of evaluation, discovery, and improvement by stakeholders with various perspectives.
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Integrated data systems require attention to scientific issues (such as data quality and data integration methods) in order to produce reliable results. Therefore, research questions must be able to be tested and answered using appropriate methods with integrated data. Scientific expertise frequently aids in the interpretation of results and plays a part in the translation
Accurate data are essential to maintaining the integrity of research. In order for an integrated data system to produce the most dependable results, the governing board overseeing the IDS must establish appropriate methods for assessing the reliability and validity of data elements to maximize the utility of the information they contain. Below lists several established
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The critical methodology for creating integrated data systems is the process of record linkage, which refers to the joining or merging of data on the basis of common data fields. The data fields are usually personal identifiers (e.g., name, birth date, social security number), or an encrypted version of those identifiers. Other examples of data
Every integrated data system requires a formal governance process. Governing boards are typically composed of representatives from source agencies of various databases. These agencies have legal responsibilities for use of their data, and, depending on the data source, often must approve individual requests for data use. The governing board may also include data quality and management
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The value of an integrated data system is directly proportional to the quality of data integrated. Established systems’ audit records and collaborate with partners to ensure quality data. Because the collection of administrative data is not originally done with research in mind, issues regarding data quality arise. This can be offset through data linkage. Best
Benefit cost analysis (BCA) is an accounting framework used to evaluate the financial consequences of decisions. Its primary objective is to improve public welfare, and often the data used to perform BCA cannot be easily quantified since they are non-market goods. BCA of administrative data can be used to determine whether social policy initiatives warrant
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Large, electronic datasets are vital tool in social science research. They can contain information from a variety of sources such as, healthcare records, criminal justice and juvenile justice records, education records, child welfare records, or judicial records. These datasets do raise concerns around individual privacy and confidentiality issues as they contain sensitive information about individuals,
The ever-growing digital world allows for quicker analysis and understanding of data. With this comes a variety of ethical issues and considerations associated with the maintenance, integration, and use of administrative data for research purposes. Before conducting research or even establishing an integrated data system, the following four principles must be considered: Security of the
There are no shortage of data at government agencies. The issue is that these data are typically housed at the agency responsible for collecting it, and these agencies don’t automatically permit their data to ‘talk’ to each other. For example, in a given city, foster care, juvenile justice, and homeless services regularly collect data on
The Department of Social and Health Services Research and Data and Analysis Division (RDA) developed and maintains Washington State’s integrated client data bases (ICDB). RDA provides the Department with a central research capacity that produces rigorous, policy-driven analyses of government-funded social and health services in Washington State. RDA’s work offers state officials and taxpayers information
In the early 1970s, Governor John West hired Pete Bailey, an accomplished statistician, to develop a health statistics section to inform policy across the state. The Office was initially a sub-unit of the Governor’s Office, but was eventually moved to the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, which is a multilateral organization that handles the
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