1 Finding non-DLI data Accoleds Kwantlen Polytechnic University29 November, 2011 Mary Luebbe University of British Columbia
2 Overview Real questions and the search for answers about: An early 20th century quarantine station Mental health expenditures in the 21st century MS occurrence by community and cost data Canadian FDI in Latin America’s extractive sector The number of cities in the world Looking closely at the questions uncovers useful sources of published aggregate data.
3 William Head Quarantine StationThe question: to find numbers of Chinese labourers passing through B.C. en route to World War I battlefields in France. The researcher asked about reports from Dr. Nelson covering A Google search led to articles such as Ambrose, Linda M. Quarantine in Question: The 1913 Investigation at William Head, B.C. CBMH/BCHM /Volume 22: / p One of the source notes read: BC Archives, B-8648, GR Canada. Department of Public Health. William Head Quarantine Station, [Reports of the Division of Quarantine—British Columbia, ] Dr. A. T. Watt, Superintendent of B.C. Quarantines, to The Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa, March 31, 1913.
4 From the BC Archives catalogueGR-2005 CANADA. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE. WILLIAM HEAD QUARANTINE STATION. Microfilm (neg.), , 35 mm [B08648] Annual reports for the William Head (B.C.) Quarantine Station from 1902 to As well as statistical operational data on the station, the reports often contain information of occurrences of communicable diseases on connecting shipping routes. Some correspondence is included concerning the isolation and treatment of leprosy in the province. Subject Headings Becher Bay (B.C.) Bentinck Island (B.C.) Canada. Dept. of Agriculture. Canada. Dept. of Health. Canada. Dept. of Militia and Defence. Canada. Dept. of National Health and Welfare. Canada. Dept. of Pensions and National Health. Canada. Dept. of Public Works. Chinese in British Columbia Communicable diseases D'Arcy Island (B.C.) Leprosy Quarantine Shipping - British Columbia William Head (B.C.)
5 Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada is a likely place to find the published Annual Reports. But all volumes at UBC are in storage… The University of Toronto has digitized the Sessional Papers after 1900 (pre-1900 Sessional Papers are in Early Canadiana Online). They can’t be found as a collection on the U of T Library website; their catalogue (Summon) links to ECO and to the multi-year Indexes on the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive has more: Search for Sessional papers of Canada 1919 to see an example; the Department of Agriculture Annual Report is Sessional Paper 15, found in volume 5.
6 From Public Health, Appendix No. 1, March 31, 1918William Head, B.C.—Vessels inspected, 198. Persons inspected, 127,602. Admissions to hospital, 260. Diseases: Smallpox, mumps, scarlet fever, measles, dysentery, and erysipelas. Contacts landed for quarantine of observation, 4,837. In the handling of the 84,473 coolies who entered at this port, the military authorities established a receiving and clearing camp at the extended portion of the William Head station.
7 Mental health statisticsTwo questions arrived, one month apart: 1. A journalism student wanted to determine how much the B.C. government spends on mental health. Her first stop was at the B.C. Inter-University Research Data Centre. A psychology student wanted to find out how much Canadian governments spend on treatment for schizophrenia. Administrative data relating to health expenditures collected by hospitals, ministries of health, and other bodies are published by the Canadian Institute for Health Information,
8 In the end the most useful resources from CIHI were the following: Information about the Hospital Mental Health Database Information about the National Grouping System (NGS) Categories Report Neither one addressed total spending. Other possibilities: The Public Health Agency of Canada, and The Mental Health Commission of Canada, I expected to find nothing there, but a search revealed a report written for the Commission by the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Alberta: THE COST OF MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES IN CANADA: A report to the Mental Health Commission of Canada. June, 2010.
9 MS occurrence, deaths and costs by communityGail was asked about Multiple Sclerosis occurrence, deaths, and local costs in B.C. Deaths B.C. Vital Statistics Agency's Quarterly Digest (OpenDataBC was great for finding this.) Incidence data According to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada – British Columbia & Yukon, MS is not a reportable disease. “We usually quote that there are approximately 7, ,000 people with MS in BC. The Society does not have data for individual locations.“ She put me in contact with a researcher at UBC, who knew of a new study, the National Population Health Study of Neurological Conditions:
10 New Canadian registry: http://www. cihiCost data CIHI 1. Click on the Spending and Health Workforce tab. 2. Click on Spending. 3. In the Patient Cost Estimator, specify province and search for multiple sclerosis to see costs by age. CIHI: The Cost of Hospital Stays : Why Costs Vary. https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?pf=PFC1000&locale=en&lang=EN&mediatype=0. (p. 34) The Cost of Chronic Disease in Canada. Information on costs for diseases of the nervous system (which includes MS):
11 Canadian FDI in Latin America’s Extractive SectorThe question: statistics on Canadian FDI in oil and gas and mining in Latin America. Statistics Canada publishes statistics on foreign investment by industry and country, but most countries fall into the “other” category: US, UK, other EU countries, Japan, OECD, Japan and OECD countries, other OECD countries, and "all other foreign countries". The OECD International Direct Investment Statistics Database in OECD iLibrary is similar: either FDI by “partner country” or FDI by industry but not a combination of both. But the country list is vastly more complete. Google led to something useful: Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2007, published by the U.N.’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Chapter IV. Canadian FDI in Latin America and the Caribbean.
12 The text and tables in this comprehensive and well-researched article refer to many Canadian-based oil and gas and mining companies, with information on the countries where they were active, sector of activity, and investment value. A search of later editions of Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean for mention of Canadian companies turns up more pieces of the puzzle. The North-South Institute published Canadian Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America in The data on natural resources FDI are credited to ECLAC. Further research could use company names identified here to search the business press and company annual reports.
13 Number of cities The question: how many cities are there in the world? The researcher asked the question to prepare a speech. For his purposes, the more cities the better. First idea: the United Nations’ Demographic Yearbook, a staple reference title. Table 8 of the most recent edition lists cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants. The Excel table would make counting easy. Second idea: UN Habitat’s State of the World’s Cities. The statistical annex has a table, City population and city population growth rate of urban agglomerations with 750,000 inhabitants or more in The only drawback was having to count them (590).
14 This reflects my experience. What about yours?Other questions that recur from time to time: Demographic information about children and young people in schools in B.C. B.C. Ministry of Education has tables for B.C., school districts, and individual schools. Note the Open Data Education link too. World food statistics – production, consumption, prices. FAO databases are great for global agriculture, food and fisheries statistics. This reflects my experience. What about yours?