CIMES

Contact

Name of the microdata access service

Tilastokeskus (Statistics Finland)

Postal address

FI-00022 Statistics Finland Finland

Contact

General:info@tilastokeskus.fi Researcher services: tutkijapalvelut@stat.fi

Microdata access website

http://www.stat.fi/index_en.html

Microdata access conditions

General conditions

Statistics Finland provides microdata for research use. Data with possibility for indirect identification are available only for secure remote access or use at the onsite safe centre (Research Laboratory). Release of data outside Statistics Finland (often, tailor-made extractions of samples from existing data) is possible only for data protected against direct and indirect identification. These data are supplied to researchers on CD or DVD or on a memory stick.

Conditions for non-resident researchers

Anonymized data, without possibility for direct or indirect identification, can be sent abroad. Researchers within EU have the possibility to gain access to data from which only direct identifiers have been omitted, through remote access or by visiting the onsite Research Laboratory. The researcher should have contacts with a Finnish research organisation.

Conditions for students

Students can obtain microdata for statistical analyses.

Legal framework

Statistics Act 280/2004; Personal Data Act 523/1999; Amendment of the Personal Data Act 986/2000.

How to apply & modes of access

Public Use Files

N/A

Scientific Use Files

To obtain access, researchers must submit an application including a pledge of secrecy and if accepted, sign an End user license.
Applications may be submitted by an institution/principal investigator (for use by a specific researcher or group of researchers) or by an individual researcher. In the former case, if the researcher moves to a different institution, a new application must be submitted.
The application should contain the following information:
• Description of the required data and the purpose for which they will be used
• Research plan
• Signed pledges of secrecy from all persons who will work with the data
• Description of any data from sources other than Statistics Finland that are to be
used in the research
For applying the researcher should use the form available online.
Users are advised to contact the researcher services of Statistics Finland at an early stage to obtain necessary information before submitting the application.
If access is granted, then an agreement must be signed between the researcher (or institution) and Statistics Finland to regulate delivery of the service.

Secure Use Files

The application process is as above. In addition, to obtain access through the secure remote system a contract with the research organisation must be signed. In the contract:
• The applying organisations provide an account of their data protection and data
security practices related to remote access use.
• The organisation's administrative and technical contact persons are specified.
• The applicant ensures that the premises used by researchers are suitable for
research and remote use, and that data processing does not endanger data protection.

Details & practical information

How long does it take to obtain data?

The scope and complexity of the data that will be used in the research project determine how long it takes for Statistics Finland to process an application. In straightforward cases, the processing of an application takes one or two weeks. In more complex cases, the application for a user licence must be approved by the Board of Statistical Ethics, which convenes approximately once a month.
Once the application has been approved, and the agreement has been signed, access through the secure remote system or at the onsite Research Laboratory can be immediate. When the request is for extractions or sample data that are complex or contain sensitive personal information, data preparation may take considerably longer.

How much does it cost?

Data preparation costs between EUR 80 and EUR 140 per hour of work. The researcher is billed for the number of hours used to compile the research data set according to the researcher’s needs. Statistics Finland has some ‘ready made’ research data files that cost up to 1000 €. The secure remote access and research laboratory have additional costs:
For remote access:
• Establishment of remote access connection with the organisation: EUR 1,000
• Maintaining remote access connection with the organisation: EUR 1,000/Year
• Use of remote access in the research project: EUR 50/Month
• Remote access connection with the researcher: EUR 50/Month
And for Research Laboratory:
• Workstation hire: EUR 18/Hour

Information on access

For further details http://www.stat.fi/tup/mikroaineistot/index_en.html

Other

Statistics Act: http://www.stat.fi/meta/lait/2013_tilastolaki_en.pdf
Personal Data Act and Amendment: http://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990523.pdf
Application process: http://www.stat.fi/meta/tietosuoja/kayttolupa_en.html
Application form: http://tilastokeskus.fi/meta/tietosuoja/kayttolupa_en.html
Prices: http://www.stat.fi/tup/hinnat/tutkimuspalvelut_en.html

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