Reports

COPAFS Sponsored Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Funded Workshops on Tiered Data Access

The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics received funding in September from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in response to a proposal to conduct a workshop to gain insight on users’ needs for research access to statistical agency records. The proposal was developed in conjunction with OMB’s requirement to issue a directive on procedures for access to these de-identified records while maintaining privacy and avoiding disclosure. OMB sought recommendations from experts and practitioners across the private, public and academic sectors on procedures to structure such access.

COPAFS held a planning workshop on September 16, 2019 that developed recommendations for structuring this access. A subsequent workshop was held on January 30, 2020 that focused on access using the Five Safes Framework for protecting private and sensitive data. A report from this workshop was developed. Subsequently COPAFS presented the recommendations from the September workshop and insights from the January Workshop at the March 6 COPAFS Quarterly Meeting. Review documents from these meetings

COPAFS 2019 Annual Report

For the past five years, COPAFS has been operating from a reserve built-up from past workshops and activities funded primarily by the Census Bureau. This reserve has now been substantially depleted – it will only support COPAFS operations, in their current state, for two more years at the most. In addition, the annual FCSM conference that COPAFS has been supporting over the years was moved to a less frequent time-frame, which has reduced COPAFS’ revenue stream. Review COPAFS’ 2019 Annual Report

Making the Most of Federal Data: Combining Data for Economic Analysis

This workshop showcased innovative research using data created by linking survey, administrative, and other microdata to answer economic or policy questions that could not be addressed using any single data source. The focus was on three broad themes: (1) challenges and solutions in linking data and ensuring that combined data provides representative and reliable estimates… Read more about Making the Most of Federal Data: Combining Data for Economic Analysis After Conference Workshop