Equinox Data Delivery System

1. May 31, 2011 –Elizabeth Hill Equinox Data Delivery System Equinox.uwo.ca

2. Equinox Data Delivery System • Bilingual web-based data delivery system • Equinox holdings are largely comprised of DLI data files and geographic boundary files • Subscription-based system used by 46 Canadian colleges and Universities that are DLI member institutions • http://equinox.uwo.ca

3. Equinox Data Delivery System • Developed as a partnership project between Western (University of Western Ontario) and CREPUQ • Based on Internet Data Library System (IDLS) and Sherlock (CREPUQ) • Microdata files are loaded at Western and French metadata and aggregated data are provided through CREPUQ

4. Equinox – accessing files • Browse • By title • By topic • Other categories (recently added / modified files / public) • Search • Basic • At file and variable level • Advanced • File: Limit by keywords, title, author, geography, abstract or date • Variable: Limit by variable name or label, question text or prefix, notes

5. Equinox – accessing files, example • Browse • By title – census • Select leading text letter in the name of the file from the Title index • Results indicate number of files beginning with that letter • Many results returned

6. Equinox – accessing files, example • Browse • By topic (Census) • Select topic(s) from list • Topics based on Statistics Canada topics list

7. Equinox – accessing files, example • Browse • By topic - results • Notes number of files returned • Results can be broad

8. Equinox – accessing files - Search • Basic search - files are searchable at the file and variable levels, simultaneously • Basic Search is default entry screen • Single term or boolean operator with multiple terms can be used for search

9. Equinox – accessing files -Search • Basic search – results, more limits on results with searching than with browse

10. Equinox – accessing files - Search • Advanced search - search at the file or variable level • Advanced Search permits searching for terms in specific fields, using up to 4 sets of criteria

11. Equinox – accessing files -Search • Advanced search – results, results are more limited with searching than with browse • Advanced Search offers complex query • This example shows options at file level

12. Equinox – accessing files -Search • Advanced search – results, results are more limited with searching than with browse • Advanced Search offers complex query • This example shows options at variable level • Variable fields include: • Variable label • Variable name • Question text • Question prefix • Variable notes

13. Equinox – accessing files -Search • Advanced search – search at variable level, displays variables with text from search string • Variable level search results displays variable information that include search string • File can be selected for use, variables found from initial search will be preselected

14. Equinox – browse, search results • Results of browse or search operations are displayed using the same report • Search or browse results can be further limited by type of file: • Microdata • Aggregated data • Geographic products • External web sites

15. Equinox – browse, search results • Results are grouped by survey, then descending by date • A link is provided to documentation about each file • An access point to the data is provided (retrieve data may open a file or provide option to save, or with microdata allows selection (next slides) • Get B20/20 or other file launches file open in viewer software

16. Equinox – aggregated data • If for example aggregated data is in B2020 format, the prompt to open or save the data file will appear: The B2020 icon will appear if the viewer software is installed Files can be opened or saved for later use

17. Equinox – microdata • Access to microdata files permits subsetting or entire file download Retrieve entire file Subset, which permits variable and value selections *Note: can retrieve all variables, but limit on values (e.g. All variables for B.C. only)

18. Equinox – microdata • Access to microdata files permits subsetting or entire file download Default selection to further subset dataset at value level Value selections can include all values, range of values or value labels (next slide)

19. Equinox – microdata • Values – restricting results Limit by value labels Limit by range of values

20. Equinox – microdata • Submit data request • Data request job asks for: • E-mail address • Prompts user asking them if they want: • Statistical software syntax • Codebook • Data file • French data format available (decimal comma rather than decimal point) • Submit action results in link to data file, email link to user

21. Equinox – Access to content • Metadata is available without restriction, as is documentation unless a restriction has been placed on a file • Access is granted to subscribers based on IP address, collections within Equinox that the subscriber institution has access to are available to Equinox users from those institutions

22. Equinox – Interface notes • The Equinox interface can be customized in the MyEquinox menu by the user to specify: • Language preference (French or English) • Default Entry Screen • MyEquinox also shows a listing of previous microdata job submissions

23. Equinox – Help • Help outlining access points to data within Equinox system (Browse, search), and how to use Equinox are available in both French and English within the help menu • Help with data and a glossary are additional help menu topics • Any page can be bookmarked (including searches)

24. Equinox – Contact / Feedback • Contact Us menu provides links to: • Technical report online form • Subscription form • Local contacts for Equinox at subscribing institutions • Feedback

25. Questions?

26. Contact us • Equinox team can be contacted via on-line form: • http://equinox.uwo.ca – ‘Contact Us’ menu • Liz Hill • ethill@uwo.ca Western Libraries, Map and Data Centre University of Western Ontario London, ON • 519-661-2111 x85049