How we store data and the three access categories
Information security management is of utmost importance to the Centre. All datasets are securely stored and we follow an industry standard three tier access policy.
Secure data storage
Information security management is of utmost importance to the Centre. Data held by the Centre are subjected to the information security management system ISO27001:2013. This certification confirms that the Centre operates a system that will securely manage your information.
All datasets are securely stored and we follow an industry standard three tier access policy. Data fall into one of three categories they are:
- Open data
- Safeguarded data
- Controlled data
Open data
Open data are those data that are not personal and have few restrictions for use. You can browse our open data in our Data Portal and download them instantly.
The open data holding includes Global Information System files from Natural England and datasets about Colchester that have been compiled from various freely available online resources. We are working with our partners to secure more datasets, contact us to see whether we might have what you are looking for
Safeguarded data
Safeguarded data are those data that are not personal, but the data owner considers there to be a risk of disclosure resulting from linkage to other data (such as private databases) or the data are considered to be commercially sensitive. The safeguards include knowing who is using the data and for what purpose.
Within the safeguarded category there are two sub-levels:
Standard, data fully anonymised
To access data in this category researchers must first accept depositor conditions/agreement and permission may need to be sought from the data owner. Please contact us to discuss your needs further, or if you already know which datasets you need from our Data Portal you can complete a Data Access Request.
Special license
To access data within this category researchers will need to agree to protect outputs and to store them securely. The license would need to be physically signed and the project would need approval from the data owner before access is granted. Please contact us to discuss your needs further, or if you already know which datasets you need from our Data Portal you can complete a Data Access Request.
Controlled data
Controlled data needs to be the most secure and are data which can be defined as personal. These datasets contain information that could potentially identify individuals and are only available to researchers for specific data usage and projects that have been individually approved by the Centre. Controlled data can only be accessed through secure facilities, this reassures data providers that the data remain confidential, but provides researchers with access to a rich source of detailed data. If you would like to find out more about our data within this category please contact us to discuss your needs further, or if you already know which datasets you need from our Data Portal you can complete a Data Access Request.
How we store data and the three access categories
Information security management is of utmost importance to the Centre. All datasets are securely stored and we follow an industry standard three tier access policy.
Secure data storage
Information security management is of utmost importance to the Centre. Data held by the Centre are subjected to the information security management system ISO27001:2013. This certification confirms that the Centre operates a system that will securely manage your information.
All datasets are securely stored and we follow an industry standard three tier access policy. Data fall into one of three categories they are:
- Open data
- Safeguarded data
- Controlled data
Open data
Open data are those data that are not personal and have few restrictions for use. You can browse our open data in our Data Portal and download them instantly.
The open data holding includes Global Information System files from Natural England and datasets about Colchester that have been compiled from various freely available online resources. We are working with our partners to secure more datasets, contact us to see whether we might have what you are looking for
Safeguarded data
Safeguarded data are those data that are not personal, but the data owner considers there to be a risk of disclosure resulting from linkage to other data (such as private databases) or the data are considered to be commercially sensitive. The safeguards include knowing who is using the data and for what purpose.
Within the safeguarded category there are two sub-levels:
Standard, data fully anonymised
To access data in this category researchers must first accept depositor conditions/agreement and permission may need to be sought from the data owner. Please contact us to discuss your needs further, or if you already know which datasets you need from our Data Portal you can complete a Data Access Request.
Special license
To access data within this category researchers will need to agree to protect outputs and to store them securely. The license would need to be physically signed and the project would need approval from the data owner before access is granted. Please contact us to discuss your needs further, or if you already know which datasets you need from our Data Portal you can complete a Data Access Request.
Controlled data
Controlled data needs to be the most secure and are data which can be defined as personal. These datasets contain information that could potentially identify individuals and are only available to researchers for specific data usage and projects that have been individually approved by the Centre. Controlled data can only be accessed through secure facilities, this reassures data providers that the data remain confidential, but provides researchers with access to a rich source of detailed data. If you would like to find out more about our data within this category please contact us to discuss your needs further, or if you already know which datasets you need from our Data Portal you can complete a Data Access Request.