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Data Innovation Program

Welcome! You can raise a request for the Data Innovation Program using the options provided.

Prospective Projects

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Data Access Request (DAR)

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Introduction

This “Data Access Request” (DAR) for a Data Innovation Program (DIP) project may be submitted by the “Project Main Contact” or by a “Project Team Member” as identified in Section 1 below. An Electronic approval will be required from the “Project Main Contact” during the approval phase.

2-step submission process

  1. Click Send to save a draft.

  2. Click Submit at the bottom of the form after reviewing your request.

Section 1: Project Information

List the Project Main Contact and all “Project Team Members” in this section. Each Project Team Member who will work on the project, including the Project Main Contact, will be engaged pursuant to section 3 of the Statistics Act, must sign an Engagement Agreement, take the Statistics Act Oath of Secrecy and successfully complete privacy training and any other required training before accessing any data. Project Team Members who require access to data will receive a unique login account. Teams are encouraged to include a diversity of skillsets and perspectives to provide input on the research and ensure it is useful.

1.1 Project type

1.2 Anti-Racism/ Racial Equity Purpose

Please review these resources as you develop your DAR:

1.4 Title

1.5 Project description

Using plain language provide a summary about your project. Include a brief overview of the project objectives, and public benefit(s). You may include a brief overview of the research questions and data used to help answer them. Please use 250 words or less.

Note: By submitting this DAR, the Project Main Contact hereby authorizes the Data Innovation Program to publish the project description on the Data Innovation Program website.


1.7 Project Team Members

Provide details of all Project Team Members who will work on your project.

Definition of a Project Team Member

Any individual, in addition to the Project Main Contact, who will:

  • Work within the Secure Analytics Environment (SAE), or

  • Participate in discussions with row-level data prior to ‘Approved Outputs’ or a completed Pre-publication Review.

Requirements for Approval

If approved, each new Project Team Member will be pursuant to section 3 of the Statistics Act and must complete the following prior to accessing the data:

  1. Sign an Engagement Agreement.

  2. Take the B.C. Statistics Act Oath of Secrecy (a previously sworn oath is acceptable)

  3. Complete privacy training (and any other required training).

Note: The Project Main Contact confirms that they have obtained consent from the individual(s) listed below to disclose their personal information to the Data Innovation Program for the purposes of this Amendment. 

1.8 Project Advisors

Project Advisors are considered a project’s ‘internal audience’ and may view ‘Approved Outputs’ without requiring a Pre-Publication Review, however they are not permitted to view or discuss row-level data.  

1.9 Outside of Canada

Project Team Members may access the Secure Analytics Environment (SAE) from outside of Canada by completing an Access Outside Canada appendix to their Engagement Agreement. If you or a team member require access to the SAE Outside of Canada, please attach a completed appendix for each individual.

Section 3: Study Design and Defining Study Population

3.1 Public interest requirement

The Data Innovation Program’s approach to managing safe access to confidential or sensitive data is guided by the Statistics Act, the Anti-Racism Data Act, FOIPPA, a Privacy Impact Assessment, and a Privacy and Security Framework based on the Five Safes Model, under which “SAFE PROJECTS” indicates that projects must have a clear public benefit.

Please select all the public interest criteria that apply to your project.

Describe how your project provides a public benefit by meeting the public interest criteria you have selected above.

Note: Please include reference to the population of interest that may benefit from the project; Include specific policy, program, or service impacts.


3.2 Project objectives

List the project objectives you aim to achieve with this project. There should be a clear alignment to Research Purpose and Outcomes.

Note: Please number your objectives to help match them to your research questions and hypothesis; if applicable use a chronological order and/or group them into phases.


3.3 Research questions

List your project research questions as they relate to your objectives. Please make these questions as clear, specific, and data oriented as possible. Write the research questions in a way that is measurable and answerable by data (e.g., what are the characteristics of X?, Does X have an impact on Y?, What is the relationship between X and Y?)

Note: Please number every question to help connect back to an objective (objectives may have multiple questions).


3.4 Hypotheses and analytic approach

List your project's hypotheses along with a brief description of the data analysis techniques that will be used to test your hypotheses and answer your research questions. Please list and define control groups if applicable; and include references to the datasets being used to effectively answer your research questions.

Note: Please number your hypotheses to help connect back to your research questions and objectives.


3.5 Population of interest

Using plain language, describe the population of interest for your project.

3.5.1 Describe the population and time period of interest for your project. This should include the approximate size and any demographics, characteristics, and/or service conditions (e.g., experiences or outcomes with government programs, policies and/or services) of interest.


3.6 Benefits to communities

 3.6.1 Describe how you will consider the identification, prevention, mitigation and minimization of community harm throughout the project life cycle.


3.6.2 Considering the population of interest identified in section 3.5.1 select from below all that apply to your project and describe how the results of your research will maximize benefit to the communities or population. 

Describe how the results of your research will maximize benefits to the communities or population. 


3.7 Overall impacts

3.7.1 What will the project outputs be used for? How will the project outputs be used to inform the purpose(s) identified in section 3.1 Public interest requirement?


3.7.2 How will you know you have achieved the intended outcomes of this research?


3.8 Timeframe

Please enter your preferred project start date:

Note: The official start date begins when data is released to the project folder. Projects can expect to have access to the data between four to eight weeks after submission of the DAR; however, timelines may vary.

Please provide any additional factors that may influence timeline.


Section 4: Datasets

The Data Innovation Program removes direct personal identifiers from the datasets. Access to data is governed by the Statistics Act, which means the Data Innovation Program is legally required to protect confidential information for individual persons, organizations, and businesses in accordance with that Act.

The Metadata for all datasets is listed in the BC Data Catalogue

Section 5: Public Dissemination

5.1 Review of materials before public dissemination of results

Before public dissemination of any project results (e.g. journal article(s), PhD theses, published reports, seminars, conference presentations) (“Findings”), the Project Main Contact is required to send the Findings in final draft form to the Data Innovation Program, for confirmation that the terms of the Engagement Agreement have been complied with and, in particular, that privacy and confidentiality requirements have been upheld; there has been no misuse of data; potential risk of community harms have been identified and mitigated; and the data has been appropriately referenced and cited. Findings must not be communicated externally until the Data Innovation Program has informed the Project Main Contact that the review has been completed and the Findings may be released.

5.2 Intended public dissemination

Describe intended plans for public dissemination of Findings.


Section 6: Miscellaneous

6.1 Publication of basic project information

The Data Innovation Program publishes information about approved projects for transparency and to communicate the value of projects facilitated through integrated data. This basic information may include: project title, Project Team Members' names and organizations, project description, datasets accessed, project timelines, and intended publications. The information published is pulled from this DAR application and posted on the Data Innovation Program website and other program communication materials.

By submitting this DAR, the Project Main Contact hereby grants to the Province a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, world-wide and royalty-free license to use, reproduce, distribute, modify and publish the information provided in this DAR for this purpose and confirms that they have the authority to grant this license.

6.2 Output checking

When any data analysis within the Secure Analytics Environment (“SAE”) has been completed, the Project Team Members must anonymize all outputs and submit them to a Data Innovation Program “Output Checker” for manual review via the Output Checking Workflow Application (OCWA). Once approved by the Output Checker, outputs will be released from the SAE. The time required for outputs to be reviewed depends on the size and complexity of the outputs, as well as the workload and availability of Output Checkers.

6.3 Archival storage of files

All records created within the Data Innovation Program, which includes records that will be created in respect of the project, are subject to the Data Innovation Program’s “Records Retention and Disposal Schedule”. For more information about this schedule, please contact the Data Innovation Program.

These records are archived at Population Data BC prior to their destruction in accordance with the schedule. The Project Main Contact may request permission from the Data Innovation Program to access the archived file within the time parameters set by the Data Innovation Program. Upon request for access to an archived file, and approval by the Data Innovation Program, this DAR will be amended to include the access requirements established by the Data Innovation Program.

6.4 Changes to project

Any requests to make changes to the project (e.g. a time extension or changing or adding a new Project Team Member or changes to description, methodology or dataset) must be submitted using a “Data Access Request Amendment” and be approved by the Data Innovation Program, following which this Data Access Request will be deemed to be amended accordingly.

Section 7: Declaration

Project Main Contact

Print Name and Title (Project Main Contact)

Any personal information that is collected for the purpose of assessing and responding to this DAR submission is authorized by Sections 26(c) and 27(1) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Questions about the collection and use of this information can be directed to the Director of Policy and Legislation of BC Stats at data@gov.bc.ca.

2 step submission process

  1. Click Send to save a draft.

  2. Click Submit at the bottom of the form after reviewing your request.