Georeferencing survey data

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christof Wolf, since 6/2015
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2015 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 265394007

The project aims at creating an infrastructure for matching survey data with small-scale, substantive geodata by georeferencing the survey data. The availability of such an infrastructure will open up new opportunities for using geodata in empirical social research. In order to fully exploit the analytic potential of georeferenced survey data it is necessary - in addition to accomplishing the task of georeferencing - to establish the conditions for distribution and reuse of the data. This requires the development of a consistent metadata scheme for documentation of georeferenced survey data and a review of the current requirements of data protection legislation concerning data provision. To attain this goal, the project establishes technical procedures for georeferencing and includes two practical applications. First, we plan to georeference data from the ALLBUS and the GESIS panel to allow for substantive research. Second, we will generate from the survey data consistent time series for small administrative units (e.g. German counties). In order to allow for secondary analysis of the georeferenced survey data we will develop a metadata scheme according to the DDI standard for metadata, which already includes options for the documentation of geodata. For distribution of the data through the Data Archive for the Social Sciences we will develop a check routine that enables us to select usage requirements for the georeferenced files in accordance with German data protection legislation.

• DFG Programme: Research data and software (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)
• Co-Investigators: Professorin Dr. Katharina Kinder-Kurlanda; Wolfgang Zenk-Möltgen
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. York Sure-Vetter, until 5/2015