Staff vacancies at the UK Data Archive

The UK Data Archive is seeking to appoint both a Senior Systems and Applications Developer and a Senior Services and Data Repository Developer.

Both Developers will join the Information Development and Programming section of the UK Data Archive. The section provides support for the critical needs of the other divisions in the UK Data Archive, developing, maintaining and updating internal and external systems which are in everyday use.

The Archive is in the process of redeveloping a number of its legacy applications, using new processes, tools and architectures.

The Senior Systems and Applications Developer will manage a small team of developers and have day to day responsibility for the maintenance and redevelopment of legacy applications, plus the development of new applications, ensuring that work is clearly specified, well managed, completed on time and meets the stakeholders’ requirements.

The Senior Services and Data Repository Developer will manage a small team of developers and have day to day responsibility for the design and implementation of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), plus the maintenance and eventual migration to the SOA of legacy databases.

These are a fixed-term posts until 30 September 2012.

Further details: http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/news-events/news.aspx?id=2651

Synthetic data meets simulation workshop - last call for participants

Date: 22nd October 2010 10AM - 4PM
Venue: University of Manchester

A workshop to explore synergies between synthetic data generation and agent-based modelling.

This workshop has been conceived to explore whether research in both fields could be mutually informative and whether the techniques, methods and data products of each could enhance the other. Some ideas that may be worth exploring include: the use of synthetic data to assign properties to agents so that they possess the multivariate properties of the population of interest; and the use of agent based models to enhance longitudinal aspects of synthetic data (which may well have been generated cross-sectionally).

The workshop is free to attend. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Register here: http://www.simian.ac.uk/courses/course-registration

Introduction to census data usage

24 November, 2010
London Metropolitan University

Further information and booking form: http://www.esds.ac.uk/news/eventdetail.asp?id=2606

This one-day workshop will enable participants to gain familiarity with census data, and to put this knowledge to practical use. SARs microdata, aggregate statistics and longitidinal data will be covered in more detail and there will also be practical exercises to try.

Labour Market Statistics User Group: Changes in labour demand - A look at the labour market by industry

25 November 2010, 2:30-4:30pm
BIS Conference Centre, 1 Victoria Street, London

This session will look at the impact of the new industrial classification on labour market outputs and also provide analysis by industry on earnings, jobs and hours. Speakers will include:

Ole Black (ONS) - Sponsor of SIC2007 project
Steffan Hess (ONS) - Moving Workforce Jobs to SIC2007
Craig Barratt (BIS) - Hours worked: What lies beneath?
TBC (Low Pay Commission) - Job sectors and low pay

Everyone is welcome. If you would like to attend e-mail business.support.team@ons.gsi.gov.uk

Labour Force Survey User Meeting

Thursday 2 December 2010: Royal Statistical Society, London

This meeting will provide a forum for data users and producers to meet and discuss new developments and exchange information about the Labour Force Survey.

To view the programme and book a place please go to http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/esds/events/2010-12-02/

Census SARS user meeting 2010

The SARs User Meeting will be held on Monday 8 November at the Royal Statistical Society, London.

The meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss requirements and comment on the specifications for the 2011 SARs. Sessions have been split into key topic areas and will be led by an expert in the field to encourage discussion. The Office for National Statistics will give an update on the 2011 Census and the SARs team will talk about general considerations. To view the programme and book a place please go to http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/sars/events/2010-11-08/

For SARS related resources see http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/sars/resources/

Consultation on the 2011 Census SARs

This relates to the future of the Sample of Anonymised Records, the extract of the census that is released for research purposes.

The consultation on the 2011 SARs has now begun with feedback from experts on topic and variable content. The consultation will be opened up to general users on 18 October and you will be able to give your views at http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/sars/2011/consultations/
or by emailing sars-helpdesk@manchester.ac.uk.

If you use the SARS or think you may use them in the future, please contribute to this consultation. This is particularly important if you wish the data released from the 2011 census to be comparable with data you have used for previous years.

LSYPE Introductory Workshop

One-day introductory workshop on the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE).
Monday 13 December 2010: London

The workshop is designed both for researchers who are considering using data from LSYPE in their work and for those in government departments and the voluntary sector who are involved in commissioning research.

Issues to be covered will include: themes and content covered by the survey; survey design; accessing LSYPE via the ESDS; research findings using LSYPE, and i-LSYPE, a new online analysis tool.

Further details including booking form: http://www.esds.ac.uk/longitudinal/news/eventdetail.asp?id=2622

Europeana database

Europeana is an EU funded database of paintings, music, films and books from Europe's galleries, libraries, archives and museums.

It currently contains links to 6 million objects from organisations such as the British Library, the Rijksmuseum and the Louvre.

http://www.europeana.eu/portal/index.html

ESDS International conference

Booking now open for ESDS International Annual Conference 2010: Global issues > Global data > Global thinking.

Monday 29 November 2010 at the Institute of Materials in London.

The event is intended to appeal to policy makers, members of the academic community using the international databanks in their research and teaching, data librarians and producers of international data resources. The event is free and open to all but capacity is limited, so booking is essential.

For further information see http://www.esds.ac.uk/international/news/conf2010.asp

EDUBASE 2010

The 2010 extract of the EDUBASE data is now available in the library. If  you are a member of the LSE Research Laboratory and would like to use the data please let me know. I will be applying for licenses on Thursday 7th October.