What?
Access to large collections of data, such as that held by the ABS, can by stymied by an inability to find specific items of interest. With data items available from multiple surveys, for the user who just wants to find out specific facts our larger collections can be an intimidating maze. The Quick Data Selection Tool hopes to solve that problem for at least one publication, the Migrant Data Matrices.
The Migrant Data Matrices presents a series of data cubes containing summary data on migrants. The Matrices are designed to allow easy access to specific topics and data items, given the large number of data cubes contained in this publication.
The Quick Data Selection Tool makes the Matrices now even easier to access. It is an online interactive data exploration tool, which filters a selection of data sources by user-specified subjects and data items in a responsive and intuitive way. Built in JavaScript, the Tool lets the user select a subject and a number of data items, immediately showing the user which data sources (if any) fit into that subject and contain the selected data items. In addition, it provides direct links to those data sources.
Why?
The Migrant Data Matrices contains over 65 separate data cubes, categorised into a 9-subject framework, containing many different data items. This presents an overwhelming amount of data to the user, which can make it difficult to find precisely what they want. Given that this easy access to data is one of the main goals of the Matrices, a solution to make exploring the data sources as painless as possible was devised.
When?
Later in 2012
#1: PD
A similar tool could be useful for Microdata products too!
#2: HB
That's fantastic - maybe some headings wouldn't go astray, I agree with Julia that it's a good idea to stick to the standard ABS topics as people are familiar with them. I think it's pretty though :) I can see data items causing a few issues where there are similar items used in different surveys that can be compared, but are called different names... thoughts?
#3: Julia
Hi guys
I think this concept is great and could really help users navigate to the data they want quickly and easily. One thing you might want to consider is using the ABS "standard" topic structure (eg Economy, Environment, Industry and Population and People). I think our clients are going to become more familiar with this structure and it may be good offer them entry points to data that are consistent?
I'm sure you'll be soing some more work on the "look" of the tool, but its obviously something that will need some tizzying up.