UK Data Service SecureLab: pioneers in enabling safe data-driven research for over a decade
12 January 2022
A woman, Beate Lichtwardt, smiling and looking into the cameraA headshot of Chris Woods, smiling and looking into the camera
Whilst many researchers in the UK will see the brazil rcs data UK Data Service SecureLab as a longstanding part of the UK data provision landscape, not all will be aware of the history and achievements of the service. Now, as part of the 10-year anniversary of UKDS SecureLab, James Scott, Beate Lichtwardt, and Christine Woods take a look back at some of the accomplishments of the past decade.
At its very inception, UKDS SecureLab broke new ground for data access in the UK. and Social Research Council (ESRC), and initially called the Secure Data Service (SDS), its remit was to make access to detailed microdata possible, and safe, without the need to travel to a specific location to do so.
Booking into onsite facilities (e.g. safe rooms) had been the best solution on offer to UK researchers up to that point. Given that researchers tend to have a myriad of responsibilities such as teaching, departmental duties, families etc., this situation was not ideal. In fact, it was expensive and time-consuming…until a decade ago.