New forms of data

Social scientists are increasingly drawing on new forms of data beyond the traditional genres of surveys and interviews. These data include administrative records, commercial transactions, social media and internet data, geo-spatial data, and image and audio data. These types of new data present challenges for technical infrastructure, legal governance, and ethically responsible research and digital preservation.

Researchers at GESIS are investigating several vital topics in this domain:

1. linking digital behavioral data (e.g., social media) with survey data
2. digital preservation of social media data to enable access while protecting privacy
3. georeferencing surveys to link them to small-scale neighborhood information found in geo-spatial data