CSDA/ESS-CZ

Name: Czech Social Science Data Archive

Institution: Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Coordinator: Mgr. Jana Leontiyeva, Ph.D.; yana.leontiyeva@soc.cas.cz

Website - CSDA
Website - ESS-CZ

CSDA/ESS-CZ was created by integrating two existing LRIs, the Czech Social Science Data Archive (CSDA) and the Czech National Node to the European Social Survey (ESS-CZ). CSDA is a national resource centre for social science research, which acquires, processes and archives datasets from social research and makes these data publicly available for secondary analysis in scientific research and training at universities. At the same time, CSDA serves as the Czech national node to CESSDA ERIC (Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives), and it is the CESSDA Service Provider in the Czech Republic. CESSDA has developed a comprehensive and integrated European system of data services in social sciences by connecting existing national data services. ESS-CZ is the Czech national node to ESS ERIC (European Social Survey). ESS ERIC undertakes a longitudinal programme of cross-national quantitative bi-annual surveys of the socio-demographic characteristics of people living in European countries and their opinions on current social issues (e.g., immigration, climate change, energy, democracy, economic morality, criminal justice, economic justice and social policy). Both CESSDA ERIC and ESS ERIC are landmarks of the ESFRI Roadmap and are at the forefront of the efforts to build open science in the field of social sciences and humanities data in Europe. The archival and information system ensures the long-term preservation and availability of data for re-use in compliance with international standards. The data files are available to researchers and students via online systems allowing for the searching, browsing, analysing, visualising and downloading of data. The opportunities to combine data from different research projects, as well as to analyse academically rigorous cross-national data on European societies, are the starting points for many social science studies and make Czech social research internationally competitive. The use of archived data for international comparisons, longitudinal studies of social dynamics and other comparisons in time radically increases the ability of social sciences to address contemporary societal challenges. CSDA/ESS-CZ is also a resource of research instruments verified in previous research, thereby creating an important background for the implementation of new surveys. A strong emphasis is placed on communication with researchers, including the dissemination of knowledge and tools and provision of training in data management and social data analysis. Moreover, CSDA/ESS-CZ integrates Czech social sciences into international cooperation in the development of new technologies, standards, best practices, and methodologies in the domains of survey research, data sharing and data analysis.