IPUMS makes the world's largest collection of population and health survey data freely accessible online. Hundreds of thousands of researchers worldwide use these data, and you can contribute to developing and enhancing this public good.
We seek a data analyst interested in international census data to join our diverse team of research and information technology professionals. We are looking for a technically-minded person who enjoys working with data and has the ability to learn new skills and knowledge quickly.
The current opening is on the team that creates the International Historical Geographic Information System (IPUMS IHGIS, ihgis.ipums.org). IHGIS disseminates census data from tables published by national statistical offices around the world, along with GIS boundary files representing the units described in the tables. In this position, you will transform data from highly heterogeneous tables into consistently structured, fully documented, machine-readable data ready for use by researchers and policy analysts. As you learn the IHGIS workflows, you will grow into leadership of a team of student research assistants who perform data processing and documentation tasks. You may also participate in other tasks, including user support and outreach and involvement in other IPUMS projects.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- 30% Data processing. Execute all stages of the IHGIS data processing pipeline, including data acquisition via web scraping; transforming scanned images to digital data using optical character recognition (OCR) software; using a markup framework to describe table structure; and data transformation and quality assurance.
- 15% Information design. Author and edit metadata for clarity and consistency.
- 10% GIS data development. Acquire and edit GIS shapefiles delineating the geographic units described in census tables.
- 20% Coordinating student workers.
- 10% Improving workflows and processes.
- 5% Outreach. Prepare and give public presentations on campus or at professional conferences or other venues to disseminate information about IHGIS or other IPUMS projects.
- 10% Supporting other IPUMS projects.
Work location: The selected candidate is welcome to work from our office in Willey Hall on the Minneapolis West Bank campus and/or remotely.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required for job duties:
- A bachelor’s degree or a combination of related education and work experience equal to 4 years
- Excellent computer skills and ability to learn new information technology
- Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
- Ability to work independently with limited supervision and to collaborate with others.
- Attentive to detail and committed to accuracy
- Experience using one of the IPUMS databases or other large-scale census or survey datasets
- Experience with programming or scripting (especially R)
- Experience with a data development project
- Experience with project coordination
- Experience with technical writing, web content design, and/or public communication
- Familiarity with database concepts
- Degree in a social science or other field where census data are directly applicable
- Ability to read language(s) in addition to English and/or cultural knowledge of other world regions
Learn more about the position and apply HERE
