Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Funded Workshops on Tiered Data Access

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.  The documents from these meetings are provided below.

OMB expects to issue a Federal Register Notice in the summer of 2020 addressing procedures to access statistical data while maintaining privacy and avoiding disclosure.  We encourage you to use this information to respond to their notice.

September Planning Workshop

1.  Sept 16 Workshop Agenda

Evidence Commission Approach to Data Sharing & Sensitivity and what the Evidence Act now requires, Nick Hart, Ph.D.

Locally Based Initiative …to transform the use of data, Julia Lane, New York University

2.  Sept 16 Workshop Recommendations and Attendees

January Workshop

3.  January 30 Workshop Agenda

Presentation: Tiered Access: A Framework and Practical Approach, Julia Lane, NYU

Resource: Five Safes: designing data access for research, Tanvi Desai, Felix Ritchie and Richard Welpton

Presentation: “Safe Data” – Statistics Canada’s Data Confidentiality Classification Tool, Steven Thomas

Resource: Confidentiality Classification Tool

Presentation: UK Data Service: Data Access Categories, Matthew Wollard

Resource: UK Data Access Policy

4.  January 30 Workshop Summary and Attendees

5.  January 30 Workshop Briefing Book

6.  March 6 COPAFS Quarterly Meeting presentation