Open Data Foundation
The Open Data Foundation (ODaF) is a US-based non-profit organization aiming at addressing common statistical data management challenges through metadata standards, open source solutions and best practices. ODaF seeks to achieve its objective by bringing together expertises and resources from the worlds of official statistics, academic and policy research, and information technology. The Foundation activities includes fostering collaboration amongst agencies, providing support for relevant open standards (SDMX, DDI, ISO/IEC 11179, and others), coordinating open-source projects for the implementation of standards-based tools, publishing white-papers and best practices, and participating in conferences and workshops. Each year, ODaF also holds regional meetings in Europe and North America. Membership is free and open to interested individuals. Partner organizations include NORC, UK Data Archive, Metadata Technology Ltd., Ideas2Evidence, and the Canadian RDC Network. Directors and advisors come from many organizations throughout the world, including the Federal Reserve Board, the European Central Bank, UN/ECE, OASIS, Statistics Norway, and many others.
Metadata Technology
Metadata Technology is an eGovernment data management and information technology solution provider established in 2005 by the experts involved in the technical work surrounding the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange Standard (SDMX) and the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) specifications and the development of associated tools. Metadata Technology offers a unique combination of technology skills and world leading expertise to enable organizations leveraging SDMX and DDI metadata standards to better manage data and surrounding knowledge. Metadata Technology's mission is to deliver solutions to communities and agencies concerned with the collection, preservation, dissemination, and use of data and related metadata. The company provides commercial products and services to enterprise customers and contributes extensively to the community through its support to the Open Data Foundation and the development of free and open-source tools.
UK Data Archive
The UK Data Archive (UKDA) is a center of expertise in data acquisition, preservation, dissemination and promotion and is curator of the largest collection of digital data in the social sciences and humanities in the UK. Founded in 1967, it now houses several thousand datasets of interest to a wide range of researchers and provides resource discovery and support for secondary use of quantitative and qualitative data in research, learning and teaching. UKDA is a designated Place of Deposit by The National Archives allowing it to ingest and preserve public records. UKDA is based at the University of Essex in Colchester. NORC is working under subcontract with the UKDA on a project sponsored by the National Eco-nomic Research & Social Research Council to assist in developing a Secure Data Service, as part of a larger effort to support the development of the National Strategy for Data Resources for Research in the Social Sciences.
GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
GESIS is an institution devoted to research and service, which, by providing information, consultation, and data, supports and facilitates scientific work at every stage of the research process. Based upon extensive research programs GESIS provides services in data (archiving, provision, processing, research, social monitoring), methodology (consultation, developing complex methods), and specialized information (databases containing information on social science literature and research activities). GESIS develops tools and standards for all its service areas and offers continuing education schemes and events on methodology which exceed courses available in the context of university education.
University of Pennslyvania's Population Aging Research Center (PARC)
The Population Aging Research Center (PARC) at the University of Pennsylvania was established in 1994 with a P30 grant from the National Institute on Aging, which fosters research on the demography and economics of health and aging. PARC research associates come from four schools, 16 academic departments, and three centers/institutes across the university. The PARC secure data enclave is a resource available to PARC affiliates working with sensitive aging-related data. It maintains a dual quad Microsoft Terminal Server configured behind a CITRIX gateway appliance. The system is modeled after the NORC Data Enclave.
The Computation Institute (CI)
The University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory established the Computation Institute in 2000 to address the most challenging problems arising in the use of strategic computation and communications. Its establishment was motivated by the tremendous opportunities inherent in new approaches to research based on the large-scale application of computation, data, and communications, and the strategic importance to the University of Chicago and Argonne of developing the capabilities required to exploit those opportunities.