Welcome to the WISERD GeoPortal Homepage
News
If you have been given an alpha testers login you can access the Geoportal here.
Video demonstration of the 'Alpha' (early development) version of the WISERD Geoportal
WISERD Geoportal 'Alpha' (early development) Version from Glamorgan University GIS on Vimeo.
Schedule
- Beta testing of the WGP – September 2011. Open for registration of testers...
- User feedback and further development – October-December 2011
- WGP release version launch – end of Dec 2011
© WISERD 2011
About the WISERD GeoPortal
What is the WISERD Geoportal?
The key objective of the WISERD Geoportal (WGP) initiative is to develop a web-based software application to enhance a researcher’s ability to discover socio-economic research data relating to Wales, with the aim of encouraging collaborative research and re-use of existing data.
Using free and open-source software (FOSS) components and services, a range of software tools have been developed by the WISERD Data Integration Team to capture standards compliant metadata for a variety of socio-economic data sources, and the WGP provides map-based and text-based search tools for accessing this database.
The WGP is unique in that, in our review of over 120 geoportals world-wide, we have not previously encountered a geoportal dedicated to supporting quantitative and qualitative social science academic and policy research. A particularly innovative aspect of the geoportal has involved the building of a rich meta-database of government surveys, geo-referenced semantically-tagged qualitative data (generated from primary research), grey data (e.g. from transcripts, journal publications, books, Ph.D. theses) and routinely collected Government administrative data (e.g. school-level education data).
Alpha Testing Registration Page
We are currently looking for alpha testers for the WISERD Geoportal. If you are interested in becoming an alpha tester please fill in the form below....
About WISERD
WISERD is a collaborative venture between the Universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff , Glamorgan and Swansea.
The strategic aim of WISERD is to establish itself as a sustainable research institute built on the active engagement of social science staff from across the Welsh HE sector and the involvement of a complex set of audiences/users in the public and private sectors.
Aims
- To build upon and develop existing expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods and methodologies
- To develop and integrate a coherent set of research data relating to Wales
- To build networks of researchers and research capacity across Wales in the economic and social sciences, as well as contributing to UK wide research capacity building
- To explore the relationships between research data, research methods and the development and understanding of policy.
- To develop a sustainable increase in the quantitative research base across the social sciences in Wales through academic appointments and training.
- To increase collaborative interdisciplinary research grant applications and interaction with policy makers and the private sector through consultancy
Funding
WISERD has funding for 3 years from the ESRC and HEFCW with the aim being to achieve sustainability beyond this initial period. WISERD represents a major investment in research infrastructure in Economic and Social Sciences across Wales.
Staffing
WISERD has funding for twenty-eight core research posts in Wales with twelve of these being permanent. In addition to its funded research staff, WISERD also involves senior linked academics in each institution as well as associate members and thematic group conveners and members. WISERD researchers can boast an extensive set of relevant skills and experience including:
- Expertise in qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods
- Knowledge of sets of data relating to Wales
- expertise in training and capacity building
- Experience of generating research grant bids and sustainability
- In addition to the skills and experience of its researchers WISERD can also demonstrate the following;
Links with Welsh Government, Office for National Statistics and Local Authorities across Wales Close working relationship with the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) and links with cognate ESRC centre’s Links with Other Centre’s and Programmes across Wales and UK
For more information please visit the WISERD website
Links Page