Cavan Capps
U.S. Bureau of the Census

The Data Web and FERRETT: Innovations in Integrating Distributed Federal, State, 
and Local Data

The U.S. Bureau of Census and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention are engaged in a collaborative and innovative program to
develop the Data Web to provide access across the Internet to
demographic, economic, environmental, health, and other databases housed in 
different systems in different agencies and organizations. The Data Web is a
collection of systems and software that provide data query and extract
capabilities, as well as data analysis and visualization tools.  This
project is motivated by the requirements of scientists, researchers,
academicians, businesses, and professionals who increasingly need
real-time access to government and scientific data originating from
diverse systems and disciplines. 

In the past, data have been system-specific.  Data sets have been
inextricably bound to the hardware and software systems that house them,
and to the agencies that administer them. Access to data has depended
upon access to the machines or the software systems that house the data.  
Recent technological developments make it possible to break this bind and
allow for wider access to data, regardless of differences in underlying
hardware and software, and regardless of organizational boundaries. 

Extending FERRETT and developing the Data Web enables participation and
empowers data producers in all levels of government and in non-profits to
take part in publishing, documenting and using the data they produce in
an integrated statistical environment.  The development goals are to improve
usability, promote repurposing, and support statistical literacy. By
building a federal link to state and local governments, data users have
real time access to data for policy analysis and decision making. The
distributed system is based upon the principles of 1) providing users
what they need to know about the data throughout the process of
identification, manipulation and understanding, and 2) providing powerful 
tabulation  and analytical capabilities for knowledgeable repurposing of data. 

This IASSIST presentation will offer an overview of specific new
developments, collaboration and Internet based tools.