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The Key Variable Mapping System. Mark Elliot, Duncan Smith, Elaine Mackey and Kingsley Purdam Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research University of Manchester Mark.Elliot@manchester.ac.uk. The Data Environment.
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The Key Variable Mapping System Mark Elliot, Duncan Smith, Elaine Mackey and Kingsley Purdam Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research University of Manchester Mark.Elliot@manchester.ac.uk
The Data Environment • Broadly, a dataset’s environment is the background context of its development, release, dissemination and use
The Data Environment • Crucially a dataset’s environment is populated by other data • And we would like to know more about that data • Such knowledge would allow us to generate grounded scenarios
Form field analysis Assumptions: • If a data collection instrument (form) asks for personal information then that information will be stored on a database of individual records • The data will be stored at the level of detail that it is collected • So the forms give us metadata
Key Variable Mapping • Metadata is stored in a metadatabase • Paradigm process is to map two sets of metadata • Using a prevalence metric and form classifications allows matching possibilities to be assessed
Key Variable Mapping • For each variable in the metadatabase • If both datasets have common variables (e.g. ethnicity) • Find the join in the graph between the codings employed • That join is the harmonised coding • i.e. The specification of the key variable
KVMS 2 • Includes a GUI for building coding graphs • Generates the harmonisation graphs automatically • Tests for consistency on data entry