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Data: Home

Useful Data Terminology

AGGREGATE DATA or STATISTICS

The result of statistical analysis, often presented in a table. Totals, averages, and percentages are examples of aggregate data. 

MICRODATA

Record of individual responses or observations, before statistical analysis has been applied. Sometimes referred to as "raw" data. Microdata usually needs to be interpreted using analysis software

TIME SERIES DATA

Observations of the same variable (e.g., unemployment) made over time (e.g., annually).

GEOSPATIAL DATA

Data that includes geographic positioning information relative to a coordinate system. Geospatial data usually needs to be interpreted using GIS software.

TEXTUAL DATA

Speech and text data, including lexicons and text corpora. 

Accessing Data

OPEN ACCESS

Freely available to view and download online. Government data is frequently open access. 

MEDIATED (LIBRARY) ACCESS

Only accessible to the USask community. Requires login with your NSID/password, or the assistance of a Library employee.

RESTRICTED ACCESS

Access only via an application and vetting process. Various organizations, including Statistics Canada, have some data that is only accessible in this way. 

Practice Working With Data

Data, GIS & Government Publications Librarian

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Sarah Rutley
Contact:
sarah.rutley@usask.ca
Murray Library
Room 122.7
(306) 966-5988
Subjects: Data, GIS