International Integrated Microdata Series

SES-0851414

Steven Ruggles

Ragui A. Assaad

Deborah Levison

Robert E McCaa

Matthew J Sobek

University of Minnesota

This project continues to build, enrich, and freely disseminate a global microdata resource of unprecedented scale and scope. The International Integrated Microdata Series (IPUMS-International) is creating fundamental infrastructure for scientific research, education, and policy-making. The project has produced the world's largest population database, with information describing 263 million persons drawn from 111 censuses of 35 countries between 1960 and 2005. The next project phase will dramatically expand the geographic and chronological coverage of the database, continue to preserve data, and disseminate the data to users around the world. There are four major activities:

(1) Data acquisition and long-run preservation. The project will obtain and preserve the newest data from the 2010 round of censuses and the oldest data from the 1960s through the 1980s, most of which exist only on deteriorating magnetic tapes.

(2) Data cleaning and processing. Before data can be released, it is necessary to draw samples, correct errors, apply confidentiality edits as needed, and make the data interoperable.

(3) Documentation. Comprehensive documentation is essential to provide guidance to users on the meaning of census responses and their comparability across time and space.

(4) Dissemination. The project will improve the web-based dissemination system, implement online data analysis and collaboration software, and conduct a program of education and dissemination activities.

Broader Impacts. Richly detailed population data spanning the globe over multiple decades are indispensable for creating the next generation of demographic, economic, and environmental models. IPUMS-International data have already stimulated new research that transcends national boundaries and static interpretation. To keep the database a cutting-edge source of information, the project will add the latest material from the 2010 census rounds, process data from additional countries, and recover data at risk of destruction. By doubling the scope of the database to 250 censuses the next project phase will leverage the NSF's previous investment and make IPUMS-International an even more powerful resource for understanding the causes and consequences of the sweeping transformations of the human population that are reshaping the planet.

This project will create a transnational resource of unprecedented power for understanding human society on a global scale. This infrastructure will multiply the quality, quantity, accessibility, and interoperability of information about the changing human population. By freely disseminating the data, the project will enhance scientific understanding of critical policy-related issues, such as population aging, international migration, climate change, and the effects of government programs on economic development and well-being. The project promotes teaching, training, and learning through three mechanisms. First, the project develops new tools for online data analysis for sharing curricular materials for teaching at all levels, bringing the excitement of discovery into the classroom. Second, it will conduct training workshops and develop online training modules to provide direct instruction in use of the data. Third, the project will employ a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate research assistants' including members of underrepresented groups'who will develop valuable new skills in a stimulating interdisciplinary environment