Research Help - Vancouver
Get Help with Data and Statistics
For help finding data or statistics, start by contacting your subject librarian.
For help using R, introductory Python or SPSS, check out the Research Commons workshops and one-on-one consultations.
For help managing your own research data, please see the Research Data Management guide.
For help analyzing or using data, UBC's Department of Statistics offers a range of free and fee-based services. The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences also offers fee-based statistical consulting.
Key Resources
- UBC Library: Data and StatisticsGuide to using data sources available at UBC including Abacus, the Library's data catalogue.
- Statistics Canada DataData tables from dozens of Statistics Canada surveys. Not all data in this portal is freely available - for public use microdata files, check UBC's Abacus data repository for access.
- BC Community Health DataPortal with health profiles for 142 communities in BC and the BC Community Health Atlas. Searchable by health and social indicators.
Request access to restricted BC and Canadian health data
Much Canadian health data is not publicly accessible, and publicly available datasets may lack the detail you need to answer your research question. You may be able to request data from organizations such as PopDataBC, CIHI, or the Canadian Research Data Centres Network. Note that applying for data access requires a formal proposal, may take several weeks to process, and may cost money (student fee waivers may be available). Check for publicly available data first - see selected sources for Canada and BC.
- Data Prospector BCInventory of linkable health datasets that can be requested for research purposes (via PopData BC or elsewhere). Note that data requests may take several weeks to be approved.
- BC Data ScoutData feasibility service from the BC SUPPORT Unit. Researchers can test whether there is enough health data available for their research question before placing a formal request for access to data.
- Data Access Support HubPortal where researchers can request access to multi-jurisdictional Canadian health data.
- CanPath Student DatasetFaculty can request free access to a synthetic dataset based on CanPath data for student use in approved courses.
- Canadian data source identification and evaluation datasetsInventory of restricted Canadian health-related datasets.