Physical Access
The NWFSRDC lab is located in the Communications Building on the UW Seattle campus. Physical access to the building is controlled by UW’s Campus Automated Access Management System (CAAMS). Physical access to the lab is controlled by Census Bureau issued badges and badge readers, and protected by motion detectors and alarms. Activity in the lab is monitored by security cameras operated by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
No laptops, tablets, or portable media devices (e.g., USB drives) are permitted in the lab. While limited printing is available, neither printouts nor handwritten notes may be taken outside of the lab. Lockers inside the lab are available upon request.
Hours of Operation
Our facility is open for research 24 hours a day 7 days a week but closed in the event of a government shutdown impacting the Census Bureau. Remote research access, when approved, is also available 24/7 and suspended during a federal government shutdown. Computing and research support is only available during normal business hours.
Computing
The NWFSRDC lab features eleven workstations, with two monitors each, providing access through an encrypted Virtual Private Network (VPN) to a secure Linux computing environment with the capacity to handle large datasets and complex calculations. Standard statistical, econometric, and programming software, including the below, are available for researcher use. Available software, including versions, is subject to change.
- Anaconda Python
- GRASS GIS
- Mathematica
- MATLAB
- R
- Rstudio
- SAS®
- Stat/Transfer
- Stata (SE/MP)
- TOMLAB
The NWFSRDC computer network is isolated from other networks, which means that within the lab researchers have no access to e-mail or the internet nor are they able to download any information from Census Bureau servers. All users’ activities are logged and monitored by Census Bureau computer staff.
Cross–FSRDC collaborations, including collaborations with Census Bureau researchers, are possible through the secure FSRDC computing environment.
Working Environment
A research project at the NWFSRDC affords researchers opportunities to carry out unique research arising from the ability to access and explore confidential micro records. But the opportunities come at a price. The research will take place under a set of rules and limitations that will be considerably more constraining than those prevailing in typical research environments.
The constraints stem from the legal requirements to meet the conditions of an appointment as a researcher at the NWFSRDC — particularly the requirement to maintain confidentiality of the underlying microdata files to which the researcher has been granted access, and when accessing restricted access Census data, the requirement that the project benefit Census Bureau data programs.
Each researcher is responsible for knowing the rules, regulations, and policies explained in The Researcher Handbook – Federal Statistical Research Data Centers’ Handbook for Researchers.
Acknowledgements
Please acknowledge CSDE support and the NWFSRDC on any of your publications, conference papers, and posters that used the NWFSRDC (the physical or remote lab). A sample disclaimer is provided below; this disclaimer may be modified to include relevant information regarding other organizations.
“Any views expressed are those of the authors and not those of the U.S. Census Bureau or any organization referred to in this statement. The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data used to produce this product. This research was performed under FSRDC Project Number PPPP at the Northwest Federal Statistical Research Data Center (supported by the UW College of Arts and Sciences, the UW Office of the Provost, and a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development research infrastructure grant, P2C HD042828, to the Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology at the University of Washington). (CBDRB-FYyy-Ppppp-Rrrrrr).”