About Data Services

What is Data Services?

Data Services helps current students, faculty and staff at Memorial University of Newfoundland to identify, locate and download electronic data files.

Aspi Balsara (abalsara@mun.ca) is the data contact at Memorial University and can be reached at 864-7427. In his absence, contact Erin Alcock (ekalcock@mun.ca) at the same number. For spatial/cartographic data, contact Danial Duda (dduda@mun.ca) at 864-3198.

What are data files?

Data are the raw numbers from which statistics are generated. Data files consist of numeric or spatial data stored in electronic format. Data files are not human readable and require software programs such as SPSS to read and analyze the data.

If you are looking for statistics on a topic, please contact the Information Desk at the QEII Library.

What data sources does Memorial University Libraries subscribe to?

The major source for data for Memorial University students, staff and faculty is from Statistics Canada's Data Liberation Initiative (DLI). The DLI collection contains socio-economic and demographic data derived from Statistics Canada surveys.

What is the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI)?

The DLI is a cooperative effort among various academic organizations, Statistics Canada and other government departments, whereby subscribing Canadian academic institutions gain access to a large collection of Statistics Canada's electronic data files on CD-ROM, FTP or the Web. Memorial University of Newfoundland subscribes to the DLI.

Who can use DLI data?

As per the DLI licence, data is restricted to Memorial University of Newfoundland students, faculty and staff for teaching and research purposes only.

How is the data accessed?

This depends on the electronic format in which it is provided.

  1. If it is on CD-ROM, it may be used or signed out at the Map Library on level 2 of the Queen Elizabeth II Library. Brief guides are available for most CD-ROM titles.
  2. If the data is available through FTP, the data contact at Memorial (see above), will download the data and place it in an FTP directory on the Library server, where it will be available for two days for you to download it to your PC. You will then have to use statistical software such as SPSS or SAS to create your own tabulations from the raw, numerical data that was downloaded. Knowledge of statistical software is essential in order to use numerical data downloaded from DLI's FTP site. Assistance in using SPSS or SAS is available from:
    • Statistical Consulting Centre, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, at 864-8734. Fees are charged; University patrons pay half-rates.
  3. If available through the Web, you can access it directly from the Equinox or DLS websites, accessible on the data homepage.
Please see our guide, Finding DLI Data, for more detail.

What are the restrictions on use?

DLI License agreements restrict the use of data files to the faculty, staff and students of Memorial University. Use is restricted to teaching and non-commercial research at Memorial University. Use of the data for income-generating projects or consulting is prohibited. Copies of data resources may not be distributed in whole or in part outside Memorial University. All users of DLI data must agree to the DLI Licence.

July 28, 2011
Aspi Balsara