Umeå University to open globally unique population database
NEWS
Umeå University's board of directors have decided to allocate a total of ten million kronor for demographic database research at Umeå University. The population database to be accessible will far surpass the resources owned by well-known company deCODE genetics in Iceland.
“Umeå University already operates a number of high-quality research registers and population databases that have been critical in generating groundbreaking research on people's living conditions and health, and social, demographic and economic changes in a long-term perspective,” says Göran Sandberg, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University. “Now we are progressing even further.”
The University Board's decision makes it possible for the Demographic Data Base at Umeå University to build a longitudinal population database called Poplink. The database will link up other existing databases and fill the gap of digital personal data available for the period 1900-1968. “Sweden has the best population register in the world because it expands back to the 1700s,” says Anders Brändström, professor of historical demography and director of the Demographic Database. “But there is missing digital data for the period 1900-1968 and it has long been an obstacle in applying the full potential of the unique register. Poplink will come to dramatically increase the opportunities of the research community to access Sweden's unique population register,” continues Anders Brändström.
The first phase of construction of Poplink - planned to be implemented within a four-year period – will cover church records in a number of parishes in the Skellefteå region of northern Sweden. During this period, the new infrastructure will gradually become available for research and be fully operationally by the end of 2012. In order to keep the planned timetable, a total of 24 excerpists have been employed to register the data. Anders Brändström speaks with pride about the future of this unique database:
“When it's done, we will have access to a population register that extends over more than 300 years and offers detailed individual data on nearly 300,000 individuals. It will be possible to continually follow people throughout their lives and between generations. The research community will have access to an unrivalled wealth of information on the geographic, socio-economic, demographic, health and family relationships. This large depth of generations - up to 10-15 generations - allows a dramatically improved access to reliable longitudinal population.
The database will only be available to researchers after obtaining ethical approval. Under current regulations, the maintenance and storage of Poplink will be made in close collaboration with Statistics Sweden, a central government agency for official statistics.
“With its stunning detail, high quality, and depth of generations, Poplink will have great scientific value for the medical sciences, social sciences and humanities,” says Brändström.
Contact: Goran Sandberg, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University Phone: +46 (0)70-318 12 75 E-mail: rektor@adm.umu.se
