Metadata Standards and 

Technology Development 

for the NSF 

Survey of Earned Doctorates 

Kimberly Noonan (NSF NCSES) 

Pascal Heus (MTNA) 

Tim Mulcahy (NORC) 

November 5, 2013 
1 

National Center for Science and 

Engineering Statistics (NCSES) 

• A federal statistical agency within NSF 

• Charged with the mission to provide a central clearinghouse 

for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on 

scientific and engineering resources

• 12 periodic data collections covering science and engineering 

• Research and Development 

• Education 

• Workforce 

• Over 7 contracts for external support 

• Building a central data system to store, maintain, and 

disseminate survey data in a faster, more flexible way 
2 

NCSES Data System 

NCSES Data User Types 

Researcher 

Trend Analyst 

Policy Analyst 

Specific Interest 

Browser 

NCSES Staff 

FAC 

GSS 

FFS

SED 

FSS

R&D 

NSCG 

SDR 

.

.

.

NSRCG 

 &

ses

ls ooT

Proces

Integrated 

Data System 

Metadata s

n

&ls oo

licatiop

T

Ap

Microdata 

Other 

data* 

 alitynctionu fdan ess accfoels lev ginaryV

 troppusal nterxE

* Other data used regularly in NCSES publications 
3 

• Develop data delivery requirements for all survey 

microdata and metadata 

• Ensure comprehensive documentation 

• Standardize delivery formats 

• Adopt metadata standards 

• Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) 

• Globally recommended practices 

• Industry standards and technologies 

• Automate data processing 

NCSES Data Delivery 
4 

Objectives 

• Capture comprehensive survey metadata, in DDI format 

• Automate generation of essential documentation, standard reports 

• Generate delivery package compatible with the NCSES data systems 

• Case study with Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) 

• Extend to other NCSES surveys 

Team 

• NSF NCSES 

• Building next generation data system and management framework 

• NORC SED team 

• Survey contractor, years of survey specific knowledge 

• Metadata Technology North America (MTNA) 

• Domain and technology experts in statistical data management and 

its challenges

NSF Metadata Project: SED a case study 
5 

• Began in 1958

• Annual survey 

• All individuals receiving research doctoral degrees from 

accredited U.S. Institutions 

• Results used to assess characteristics and trends in 

doctorate education and degrees 

• Survey is currently conducted by NORC 

• NCSES disseminates data, reports and documentation 

• SED sponsors 

• National Science Foundation 

• National Institutes of Health 

• US Department of Agriculture 

• Department of Education 

• National Endowment for the Humanities 

• National Aeronautics & Space Administration 

NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates 
6 

• Define SED metadata 

• Assess current situation, file inventory 

• Capture comprehensive survey metadata 

• Develop SED metadata schema 

• Develop metadata model 

• Based on metadata standards 

• Aligned with NCSES data system and dissemination needs 

• Prepare metadata for SED 2011 

• Develop software tool, extend existing MTNA open source application 

• Automate SED metadata preparation for 2008, 2009, 2010 

• Extend to additional survey cycles 

• Recommend maintenance and future steps

• Lessons learned 

• Next steps 

SED Metadata Project Plan 
7 

SED NSF Manager 

Sync with 

internal 

repository 

Automate mapping into 

target repository and 

files packaging 

Capture standard 

metadata around 

surveys 

Metadata driven 

production of 

documentation 
8 

Features: 

• Catalog Explorer

• Import/create survey 

• Metadata Editors 

• Survey, Questionnaire, Classification, Variables, Data, 

Documentation, Notes, 

• Repository packaging module 

• Report Center 

• Codebook

• Comparison reports, e.g. codebook comparison 

• Custom reports 

Benefits:

• Metadata are standardized 

• Metadata are DDI compliant 

• Metadata are automatically captured 

NSF SED Manager 
9 

Catalog Explorer 
10

Metadata Editors 
11

Metadata Editors 
12

Survey Editor 
13

Variable Editor 
14

Variable Editor 
15

Questionnaire Editor 
16

Repository Editor 
17

Report Center 
18

Example Reports 

Codebook Comparison report 
19

Next Steps 

• Production and maintenance mode 

– Enhance user manual 

– Apply tool to SED 2012 

– Apply minor fixes and enhancements 

• Metadata driven environment 

– Currently data driven 

– Metadata must be considered earlier in process 

– Establish variable/classification/question banks 

• Integrate in NCSES Data Repository 

• Extend to other NCSES surveys 

– NSF SED Manager based on existing tool 

– Based on common framework, DDI with extensions 

– Open source 
20

Thank you! 

Contact information: 

Kimberly Noonan 

knoonan@nsf.gov

Pascal Heus 

pascal.heus@metadatatechnology.com

Tim Mulcahy 

Mulcahy-Tim@norc.org