National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging
Encyclopedia
The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA) is the world’s largest repository of secondary data on aging and health. NACDA’s mission is to advance research on aging by providing easy access to secondary data and by providing research support for this data.
homepage at the University of Michigan
. The NACDA collection consists of over sixteen hundred datasets relevant to gerontological
research. By preserving and making these data available, NACDA offers opportunities for secondary analysis on major issues of scientific and policy relevance.
homepage. At that time NACDA was seen as a novel experiment - neither the concept of a research archive devoted to aging issues nor the idea of making research data freely available to the public were well established. Over the years, NACDA’s mission has changed both in scope and in direction. Originally conceived as a storehouse for data, NACDA has aggressively pursued a role of increasing involvement in the research community by actively promoting and distributing data. In 1984, the National Institute on Aging (NIA)
homepage became the sponsor of the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging, and NACDA has flourished under its support. Over the years, NACDA has evolved and grown in response to changes in technology. In many instances, leading the pace of change in methodology related to the storage, protection, and distribution of data.
NACDA was one of the first organizations to develop and release studies on CD-rom
. NACDA was also one of the first archives to experiment with the idea of offering elecronic research data as a public good, free to all interested individuals at no charge. The initial collection of 28 public use datasets first offered on the internet in 1992 has now expanded to over 1,600 datasets that are freely available to any researcher. The entire collection is stored online at the NACDA website, offering immediate access to gerontological researchers.
Description
A program within the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
ICPSR, the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, was established in 1962. An integral part of the infrastructure of social science research, ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction , and offers in...
homepage at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. The NACDA collection consists of over sixteen hundred datasets relevant to gerontological
Gerontology
Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging...
research. By preserving and making these data available, NACDA offers opportunities for secondary analysis on major issues of scientific and policy relevance.
History
The NACDA Program on Aging began over 30 years ago under the sponsorship of the United States Administration on Aging (AoA)Administration on Aging
The Administration on Aging is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. AoA awards annual grants to State government agencies on aging and Native American tribal organizations to support programs mandated by the Congress in the Older Americans Act...
homepage. At that time NACDA was seen as a novel experiment - neither the concept of a research archive devoted to aging issues nor the idea of making research data freely available to the public were well established. Over the years, NACDA’s mission has changed both in scope and in direction. Originally conceived as a storehouse for data, NACDA has aggressively pursued a role of increasing involvement in the research community by actively promoting and distributing data. In 1984, the National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Institute on Aging
The National Institute on Aging ' is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health , located in Baltimore, Maryland.The NIA leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life...
homepage became the sponsor of the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging, and NACDA has flourished under its support. Over the years, NACDA has evolved and grown in response to changes in technology. In many instances, leading the pace of change in methodology related to the storage, protection, and distribution of data.
NACDA was one of the first organizations to develop and release studies on CD-rom
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
. NACDA was also one of the first archives to experiment with the idea of offering elecronic research data as a public good, free to all interested individuals at no charge. The initial collection of 28 public use datasets first offered on the internet in 1992 has now expanded to over 1,600 datasets that are freely available to any researcher. The entire collection is stored online at the NACDA website, offering immediate access to gerontological researchers.
See also
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)National Institute on AgingThe National Institute on Aging ' is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health , located in Baltimore, Maryland.The NIA leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life...
- United States Administration on Aging (AoA)Administration on AgingThe Administration on Aging is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. AoA awards annual grants to State government agencies on aging and Native American tribal organizations to support programs mandated by the Congress in the Older Americans Act...