Universities in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota are coming together on a new research data center. The data center will be established with $300,000 in support from the National Science Foundation and will focus on providing secure access to restricted-use government microdata for the purpose of statistical research. The data center will gain data and support from the Bureau of the Census.
Research at this Center will include projects on a wide range of topics, including economics, rural vs. urban life and resource sustainability, and water and food security. Researchers also plan to use their expertise to build on survey methods for census workers. The next census is slated for 2020, and the Bureau is already working on finding more accurate survey methods as well as data analysis processes.
The data center is scheduled to open this fall.
Additional government data will be provided by the National Center for Health Statistics, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Transportation Department, the Housing and Urban Development Department.
Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, the University of South Dakota and the University of Nebraska Medical Center will come together in a joint research effort through the data center.
There are 18 other data centers in the US operating through university partnerships like this one. The National Science Foundation says the addition of this center will expand the geographic diversity of the data centers.
