On-site Facility KIERKyoto University

 

On-site Facility for Remote Access to Official Statistics Data

The Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University, opened an on-site facility in March 2019 in view of the importance of research using official statistics microdata in both the social humanities and the natural sciences. The facility is open to researchers, both on and off campus.

Background

The microdata of official statistics concern the information of individuals before the aggregation of statistical surveys conducted by national government agencies. They have been used for academic research in the name of public interest according to the provisions of the Statistics Act. The revised Statistics Act came into effect in May 2019 and expanded the scope of on-site use.

On-site use is a method in which researchers use questionnaire information to perform their own aggregation and analysis, using thin-client PCs installed in on-site facilities to ensure information security. The on-site facility was established in certain institutions with the approval of the National Statistics Center. Researchers analyze the microdata remotely from on-site facilities after obtaining the consent of government agencies. The academic use of official statistics microdata is expected to be limited to on-site use.

Facility Equipment

Two thin-client PCs are installed in the facility, which can be worked on by two groups at the same time. The thin-client PC remotely controls the virtual PC in the server of the Statistics Center via SINET (academic information network connecting universities and research institutes) and is not connected to the Internet. On the virtual PC, our institute has installed Stata MP15 and Matlab 2019, in addition to software such as Microsoft Office and R provided by the Statistics Center, only for use at this facility. There is a built-in PC connected to the Internet in the facility, which users can use when they need to look up something on the Internet.

To ensure information security, PCs, cameras, any kind of recording device, wireless LAN terminals, mobile phones, and other communication devices are prohibited from the facility. In addition, a network camera was installed for recording.

Facility Management

The facility is managed and operated by the Official Statistics Onsite Facility Management Office of the Institute of Economic Research. The office carries out various activities with cooperation of the institute staff and visiting professors/specially appointed faculty members invited from outside the university to improve the research environment, promote research using official statistics microdata, and disseminate the use of facilities.

Reception desk: On-site facility management and operation counter, the Economic Research Institute, Kyoto University TEL: 075-753-7102 
MAIL: onsite@kier.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Application form reception and usage time: 9: 30-17: 00
* Excluding Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, founding anniversary (June 18), summer holidays, and winter holidays.

Application for Use

If you would like to use the on-site facility of the Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University, please apply on our application page. Currently, there is only a Japanese version of the webpage.
https://www.onsite.kier.kyoto-u.ac.jp/application/
Please note that the user must already be permitted for the on-site use of official statistics microdata.

Please refer to the website of the Official Statistics Microdata Research Consortium for the English version of the Terms of Service and the User’s Guide regarding the on-site use of official statistics microdata. This English version is not an official document issued by the National Statistics Center, and it was created for the purpose of promoting academic research using official Japanese statistics microdata by overseas researchers. Links to the two documents are at the bottom of the Japanese web page below.
http://jmodc.org/online/