Metadata Standards to Support Controlled Access to Microdata

Despite the potential benefits of providing access to microdata, NSOs face many challenges. They must consider the legal issues around microdata control and access, confidentiality/privacy concerns, and the costs associated with preparing public, restricted or scientific use files, as well as the cost to both the researcher and the NSO of maintaining secure research enclaves. Providing transnational microdata access expands the list of legal and organisational considerations and may increase the public’s concern regarding the confidentiality of data collected by the NSOs. This discussion will focus on the technical considerations involved in providing metadata to support the discovery of microdata files and their content, assessing the need and eligibility for access to restricted data as well as operationalising access and confidentiality constraints.