How to Find Data

There are many sources of data available to the Western community.  Several collections are subsciribed to and are available through Western Libraries web pages and data delivery systems, such as Equinox and <odesi>.  Map and Data Centre staff offer mediated service for locating data.

Data Delivery Systems

Equinox Data Delivery System: Was developed and is maintained at Western In partnership with CREPUQ (Quebec's governing body for universities), Western Libraries provides access to the Equinox Data Delivery System. This online system provides access to data made available through Statistics Canada's Data Liberation Initiative (DLI), to DMTI files, to some (but not all) ICPSR and OGDE files, and provides pointers to other sources of data (e.g., the "Official Statistics" web site). Additionally, through Equinox, users can refer to documentation about data files.

<ODESI> Through the Ontario Council of University Libraries, Western has access to the <odesi> system. This data delivery platform provides access to DLI data, to Canadian Gallup Polls and to IPSOS-REID public opinion surveys, and discovery access to files from ICPSR and the Canadian Opinion Research Archive.

Scholars Geoportal (BETA) An OCUL (Ontario Council of University Libraries) geospatial portak is available in beta form, and will launch in Spring 2012.

Data related print materials

The Centre also provides access to print and/or online documentation about data sets, and to certain software manuals. The data-related holding of the Map and Data Centre may be searched through its online catalogue, which will eventually be subsumed into the main Western Libraries catalogue.

Licensing Information

Access to most data files and GIS layers is governed by license agreements between Western and the agency distributing the data. Typically, the licenses permit use for teaching, research, and institutional planning within Western (or the affiliate colleges). Using files to generate income is not permitted unless explicitly allowed.