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At the lASSIST-IPSA panel, Martinotti presented an analytic framework for the

historical and present uses of process-produced information by governmental, admin-

istrative and research Institutions and the implications of these data for the Euro-

pean data archives and of the growing demand for policy-oriented data. Some of the

implications he identified included the linking of different data bases, quality of

the data, and the political and institutional nature of the consequences of publicly

supported social science research.

At the lASSIST-IPSA panel, Erwin K. Scheuch provided the session's attendees

with an historical overview of the development of information systems for storage

and management of large data bases. He described the problems encountered with these

information systems, some of the large data bases which have been organized and the

problems utilizing them, the relationship between the data collectors who have been

primarily the public agencies and other communities such as researchers, and the re-

lationship between the data archive and public agency. [Editor's Note: His paper
will be forthcoming.]

Further input from Action Group members will help the group coordinators decide

which projects are of most immediate interest, but tentative plans call for a contin-

uation of the study of confidentiality laws; a preliminary pilot survey of available
files in order to define the magnitude of this potential resource; a documentation
and coding manual specifically for aggregate data; and, a survey of completed resenrch

using process-produced data.

Paul Mdller has suggested the following priorities: (1) an overview (survey)

of process-produced data for each country of interest; (2) decisions and guidelines

on which information should be put into machine-readable form; and, (3) recommenda-
tions to public administrators for preservation of materials for social scientists.

It is likely that given the enormity of the tasks outlined by Mdller and Leavitt
and other issues identified in the MOller memo, these issues might well be handled
by other Action Groups, but these matters are still fluid.

This Action Group will be interacting with QUANTUM, the US Association for
Public Data Use, and other organizations to address subjects of mutual interest.

DATA ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Canada- Greg Morrison, Social Science Data Archive, Department of Sociology,
Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario KIS 5E6

Europe- Eric Tannenbaum, Social Science Research Council Survey Archive, University
of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, P.O. Box 23, Colchester, Essex, England C04 3S0

United States- William Gammell, Social Science Data Center, University of Connecti-
cut, Storrs, Connecticut 06268



Sist NEWSLETTER vol.1, no.
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Mandate

This group addresses the problems of data base organization and management for
effective and efficient analysis purposes. The Action Group will investigate and
evaluate existing procedures for data and documentation preparation and data manage-

I ment software and hardware capabilities. After evaluation the group will recommend

:
guidelines for preparation procedures and software development. Workshops and sem-

i Inars will be sponsored for the transfer of information and professional training
i in the organization, management, and use of machine-readable data bases.

Activities and Plans

The Steering Committee established this Action Group in recognition of the
felt need of many potential lASSIST members for a forum to discuss matters relating
to software for data management because this topic has received far less attention
than data analysis and because other organizations have been established to address
research needs.

Eric Tannenbaum prepared a paper for the Edinburgh meetings on "Data Preparation
Procedures in European Archives," which addresses such topics as data file quality,
cleaning classifications, data verification procedures, software and hardware avail-
ability, and organizational characteristics of the archive staff. This paper is

based on the results of a questionnaire sent to the seven major European archives
(Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Danish Data Archives, SSRC Survey Archive,
Zentralarchiv fOr Empirische Sozialforschung, Steinmetzarchives, Archivio dati e

programmi per le scienze sociali, and the Belgian Archives for the Social Sciences.
This Action Group will send a similar questionnaire to other archives and the resul-
tant report on existing facilities and procedures will be of value to both existing
and developing archives and libraries.

At the IASSIST session at IPSA, BjfSrn Henrichsen, Norwegian Social Sciences
Data Service, and Terje Sande, Institute of Sociology, University of Bergen, present-
ed a paper on software capabilities for mapping process-produced data. Entitled,
"Computerized Statistical Mapping," the paper describes the adoption of an automated
mapping system, using POLYVRT, to deal with data structures, and SYMAP and CALFORM,
for describing and shading of maps. Discussion after the presentation concerned the
interaction between Norwegian official (governmental agencies) and the Data Services
and the degree of success that the Data Services has had in convincing the agencies
to utilize map producing systems.

AGENDA FOR IASS|ST-|PSA PANEL

The following papers were presented at the lASSIST-IPSA Panel, 20 August
' 1976. The panel was chaired by Ivor Crewe of the Social Science Research
Council Survey Research Archive, University of Essex. Carolyn Geda , lASSIST
chairperson served as discussant. Copies of these papers can be obtained by
writing to the authors.