The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) contains unique longitudinal microdata on source and amount of income, usage of health care and other social services, and general demographic characteristics of a representative sample of the United States population. The related Survey of Program Dynamics provides additional data for welfare reform analysis. As presently formatted and documented, these surveys present significant technical barriers to potential researchers. This project will provide improved access to these data, by providing convenient search and extraction software and an efficient graphical user interface, by reformatting the documentation to consolidate all information relating to individual variables in one place, and by providing software to facilitate longitudinal analysis. The product will be distributed on CD-ROM and via the Internet, and run on PCs under Windows. In Phase I, in consultation with the Census Bureau, current and potential SIPP users, and a highly-qualified consultant, the survey instruments, documentation, and data will be researched, with the objective of defining and prototyping the software functions and the documentation to be produced in Phase II.
The targeted market for the utilities to be developed under Phases I and II of this project is the research community, particularly the segment engaged in the fields of health care and other social services. Public, private, and academic organizations involved in these fields are expected to use these utilities to enhance the effectiveness of their services.
