This page briefly describes the EDS computer lab facility. It covers access policy, hardware, software, and documentation collection that are available within the facility.

Access to EDS

The EDS facility is located in 215 Lehman Library with the entrance near the stairs leading up to the IAB 323a CUIT public computer lab. Direct access to the Map Room is available from EDS. EDS has computers and terminals and is open to anyone in the Columbia University community for purpose of obtaining numeric and spatial data. This includes the following:

• identifying numeric and spatial data products either in the EDS collection or elsewhere,
• capturing or extracting data from their source,
• working with meta-data and data dictionaries that accompany data,
• getting data files into a format suitable for research or analysis.

The equipment and software described below are available on a first come, first serve basis during hours EDS is open. Also during these hours consultants are available for assistance (see Consulting Guidelines at EDS).

For visitors from outside Columbia the facility and services are available only for use with those data products in the EDS collection that were acquired through the Federal Government Depository Library Program. Visitors can use only the hardware necessary for using a depository product, any basic software needed by the product, and any product-specific software that accompanies the product.

Hardware

• EDS network, which has specialty data-related software as well as the software found on all CUIT public lab, contains the following public workstations:
  • ten Dell Precision Workstation 670, with dual 2.80 GHz XEON processors. Each has a 30-inch wide screen monitor, CD/DVD-RW, USB key, and memory card drives.
  • a Hewlett-Packard laser NINJa printer (black and white, double-sided printer) and
    a Hewlett-Packard laser NINJa color printer.
• Equipment on the campus-wide CUIT network includes:
  • Several high-speed ethernet jacks for use with laptop computers.
  • Wireless networking.
• Large Scale Scanner
• A single IBM-compatible workstation to support data-related software applications that come with certain data products that are in the EDS data collection.

Software

• Workstations on the EDS network run various Statistical Software packages, custom Extraction Programs, Data Conversion and Transfer tools, and Mapping Software.

Note: The SAS, SPSS, and Stata software on the EDS workstations may be used for data extraction only. Analysis of data may be done on the Cunix cluster or in a public CUIT lab.

Documentation Collection

• For studies that have printed codebooks, these codebooks are kept in EDS and may be checked out for use outside the Library.
• Manuals for our various software packages including statistical software, mapping software, and proprietary software are available for in-house use. For some software applications, the manuals are delivered electronically on the EDS network.
• Census maps for 1990 and 2000 for the five counties in the New York City area are available in the adjacent map room for in-house use.
• EDS has a small collection of reference books relating to using and reporting data.
• Selected tract reports from the Decennial Census of Population for New York City for years 1940, 1960, 1970 1980, and 1990.