Establishing a Contextual Data Archive

To facilitate access to the best contextual data, we plan to develop a Contextual Data archive. Thecomprise three kinds of machine-readable materials: (1) the principal data sets with the potential fcontextual data; (2) research materials - a collection of key publications and documents relating tdata; and (3) software to find and retrieve those portions of the data sets and research materials rThe archive will offer all its products in a variety of machine-readable media, including CD-ROM. Dathe archive will be approximately 20 data sets that contain contextual data describing geographic arblock to the state. Each data set in the collection will be archived according to Sociometrics standhave been designed to make the data sets M accessible and easy to use for secondary analysis as posstheir use. Each data set will include a machine-readable raw data file, machine-readable text filesprograms for creating SPSS and SAS gem files for several operating platforms, and a machine-readableUser's Guide describing the content and format of the data. Research Materials. The archive will alspublications and documents on the use of contextual data, available in both machine-readable and pricollection will emphasize two kinds of materials: research reports of analyses using contextual datadata sets; and methodological papers that address the methods and limitations of contextual data anagiven to materials that are exemplary in their use of contextual data or in there treatment of key mcontextual analysis. Software. The archive will make available search and retrieval software allowinvariables across the entire data archive meeting user-specified criteria of topic, type, and keywordanalysis sub-files that contain only tide desired variables. The software will, in addition, allow (of user's guides, measurement instruments, and research materials. CD.ROM. At the end of the projectof data sets, research materials, and search and retrieval software will be placed on a single CD-RO