Published 12.9.2019

FSD Data Service personnel's favourite data

This article was published in Finnish in the latest issue of the FSD Bulletin (1/2019).

Research Officer Seppo Antikainen

1. What types of tasks are included in your work?

User services and archiving of quantitative datasets. Maintaining SPSS and testing new versions. Maintaining FSD’s syntax bank. Overseeing the work of Research Assistants. Participating in translation work for the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), and archiving, processing and depositing the Finnish data at the German data archive GESIS, as well as reporting the ISSP background variables used in the Finnish data and the syntaxes used in processing them.

2. How long have you worked at FSD?

I have worked here since FSD began its operations, from February 1999.

3. What dataset / data series do you especially work on?

The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) pretty much always sets my schedule for the whole year.

4. What has been your favourite or most memorable dataset?

Definitely working with ISSP because of the German data archive people’s meticulousness and punctuality. At first, their way of working was difficult for me to understand. They have the principle that data cannot contain any illogical responses whatsoever. However, mail-in surveys always contain them, so the Germans recode the data not to have any illogicalities. Once I got used to this way of thinking, working with the Germans has been rewarding, as everything always runs smoothly.

Information Services Manager Hannele Keckman-Koivuniemi

1. What types of tasks are included in your work?

I manage FSD’s User Services and Data Ingest module. I am responsible for handling user services and the archiving of datasets, especially quantitative data. I acquire and process data, prepare deposit agreements and help Finnish and foreign users with any questions they may have regarding data or data management. I participate in preparing, directing, implementing and monitoring CESSDA and FIRI projects. I also have a role in projects of Tampere University concerning open science and research and data services.

2. How long have you worked at FSD?

I started at FSD in August 2002 as Research Officer.

3. What dataset / data series do you especially work on?

I have spent a lot of time with many different sorts of quantitative data. I have also processed some qualitative datasets.

4. What has been your favourite or most memorable dataset?

I have many favourites! In many ways, you sort of get attached to the dataset that you are processing. We have a diverse range of different types of data, each giving a glimpse of what Finland is like. Using these data, one can study the Finnish population from childhood to old age. The datasets tell us about Finnish people’s attitudes, values, education, work, leisure time, social relations, and social engagement and welfare as well as social exclusion.

I have studied political science and at FSD I have been able to work on Finnish national election studies, which has been particularly memorable. The Finnish data for the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES) have been collected as part of these studies, and the data have been processed at FSD. Collaboration with international colleagues in connection with CSES has also been rewarding.

Information Services Specialist Jarkko Päivärinta

1. What types of tasks are included in your work?

I am responsible for the process of archiving qualitative datasets at FSD, which includes planning, development and coordinating work. I acquire and process qualitative datasets, prepare deposit agreements and instruct researchers in data management and informing research participants about the processing of their personal data. I am also the contact person at FSD for the textual data collection tool Penna, which means that I create data collection forms on Penna for researchers collecting textual data and send them reports on data collection.

2. How long have you worked at FSD?

I started in the spring of 2011.

3. What dataset / data series do you especially work on?

Most data series archived at FSD are longitudinal data consisting of repeatedly collected survey data. Qualitative data, on the other hand, are usually collected pertaining to a certain study theme as cross-sectional studies. When large research projects include multiple researchers, sometimes even from multiple scientific fields, separate datasets may be collected around the same theme. Archiving these kinds of large data groups has become more usual in recent years, as research funders have adopted stricter requirements for archiving research data.

4. What has been your favourite or most memorable dataset?

There are a lot of good datasets. Memorable ones include, for instance, Michail Galanakis’s dataset Intercultural Urban Public Space in Toronto 2011–2013 (FSD2926). Galanakis interviewed voluntary workers, third sector employees and young people using public spaces regarding multiculturalism, interculturalism, diversity and public space. The topic is of interest to me, and the data were maintained impeccably. Galanakis was honoured with FSD’s Data Management Award in 2014 based on the excellent data management in the study.

Research Officer Annika Sallinen

1. What types of tasks are included in your work?

I draft anonymisation plans for datasets and instruct researchers and co-workers in anonymisation. I process data and participate in user services and data acquisition, that is, finding datasets suitable for archiving in, for example, scientific journals and other publications.

2. How long have you worked at FSD?

Since 2013. I started with a summer job as Research Assistant.

3. What dataset / data series do you especially work on?

Recently, I have processed datasets that are difficult or arduous to anonymise. I process both qualitative and quantitative data. The datasets I process differ greatly in features and topics, which is nice.

4. What has been your favourite or most memorable dataset?

There have been a lot of interesting datasets, but a particularly charming one was Life for LGBTIQA Youth in the Past and Present 2014 (FSD3020), which consisted of texts written by participants describing what it has been like to live in Finland as a young person belonging to a sexual minority. The scope and content of the texts makes it a magnificent dataset. It is moving to notice how honestly and openly people write about difficult topics when encouraged and given the chance.

Research Assistant Emilia Lehto

1. What types of tasks are included in your work?

The most important part of my work is processing qualitative data to be archived. I review the data, draft an anonymisation plan and carry out anonymisation if necessary, describe the dataset and process reference files such as participant information sheets. In addition, I participate in data acquisition and scan deposit agreements.

2. How long have you worked at FSD?

I started at FSD at the end of the summer 2016. I work full-time during summer and part-time during the academic year.

3. What dataset / data series do you especially work on?

FSD’s holdings include considerably fewer qualitative datasets than quantitative, so they may be special in that sense.

4. What has been your favourite or most memorable dataset?

Memories and Experiences of Computer Use 2013 (FSD3023). The dataset was huge (90 variables and 1,453 cases) with a lot of open-ended questions and responses, and four summer workers had to share the workload. While anonymising the data we realised that the anonymisation policy had to be made more strict, and all open-ended responses had to be reviewed again. The dataset must have been one of the most work-intensive ones processed at FSD. So it is by no means my favourite dataset, but definitely the most memorable.

Research Assistant Niko Koski

1. What types of tasks are included in your work?

My main work tasks involve translating data and dataset descriptions into English. All data in FSD’s holdings are described both in Finnish and in English so that foreign users will be able to find datasets of interest and request an English translation. In addition to this, I help with miscellaneous documentation tasks.

2. How long have you worked at FSD?

From the beginning of 2018 alongside my university studies.

3. What dataset / data series do you especially work on?

I glance through most datasets enough to be able to describe them in English, but I do not familiarise myself with them to the same extent as the person who processes the data for publication. My work is therefore also a type of quality assurance: I have to review the Finnish dataset description and the data to be able to draft the description in English, and sometimes I catch some errors or inconsistencies in the Finnish data.

4. What has been your favourite or most memorable dataset?

Datasets by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA are nice to translate because the themes are always interesting and topical. Other memorable datasets are ones that produce special problems in terms of translation. Often culture-bound elements in questions have to be explained, which is why the data package of a translated dataset usually includes a “transnotes” file that contains comments on, for instance, terms and translation strategies used.