Because many of the files are large and complex, participants must have access to sophisticated hardware and software and to personnel who are well- versed technically. They must also have access to a data and information professional. Members will be encouraged to share expertise and costs of providing service with other member institutions who do not meet the full complement of requirements. Public use microdata files are anonymized data from surveys and the Census of Population, which allow the researcher to explore relationships between variables at the level of the individual. Databases are aggregate or grouped data which have been organized for efficient computer-assisted access.
Geographic files consist of digitized boundaries and networks.
All products are electronic, off-line, publicly available and affordable to the program. In addition, none of these products exists in paper format, as they are were created for statistical manipulation using a computer. At the time of writing, a committee of stakeholders is being formed to review the current DSP and make recommendations to Treasury Board regarding the program's future. We have, however, been assured that the Data Liberation Initiative will form part of this review. This initiative has been welcomed by the research and education community, data intermediaries and by government stakeholders.