CANSIM - the many faces

Title: Canadian socio-economic information management system (CANSIM)
Principal investigator: Statistics Canada et al.
Disseminator: Statistics Canada. Data Liberation Initiative
Edition/Date: updated daily, weekly, annually, varies by version
Geographic area: Canada (national and sub-national), some United States, some international
Time span of data coverage: varies by series
Periodicity: varies by series

Quick links:

• Current editions - CANSIM II on www.statcan.ca, E-stat, CHASS,
• Historical editions - CANSIM I on CHASS, cd-rom.

Description/Contents

Each series contains the statistics that describe one attribute or concept (such as 'unemployment rate'), for a particular population or sub-population (e.g. 'males in Ontario'), repeated at regular intervals over a period of time (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.). When the method of measurement or definition of an attribute or concept changes, the old series is terminated, and a new series, with a new series identifier, is begun.

Related time-series are collected together in a table or matrix. Generally, all series in a table are collected by the same department, using the same set of definitions, and (if applicable) published in the same source. For example, all the series for the Consumer price index with 1992 basket content comprise one table while those with 2001 basket content comprise another table.

Each table has:

• a unique table number (e.g. 051-0006 (STC) or 510006 (CHASS))
• a table title
• one or more dimensions which define related subgroups of series within the table, e.g. province, city, health region, gender, age, class of worker, etc.
• a source of data field, showing (where applicable) which Statistics Canada survey or data collection activity (IMDB or SDDS number) is responsible for the series, e.g. '3601 - Estimates of Total Population, Canada, Provinces and Territories'. Alternatively, the agency responsible for the data collection is given (e.g. Bank of Canada)
• one or more series which comprise the table
• (CANSIM I only) if applicable, in which STC publication (catalogue number) the series is published. E.g. STC 71-001
• (CANSIM I only) an internal numbering scheme indicating the hierarchical relationship of each time-series in the matrix/table to all other time-series in the dimension and in the matrix/table
• footnote(s) (if applicable)

For example (CHASS interface):

                            CANSIM II TABLE 510006

                IMMIGRANTS TO CANADA, BY COUNTRY OF LAST PERMANENT RESIDENCE

  Data Sources: IMDB (Integrated Meta Data Base) Numbers:
* 3601 - Estimates of Total Population, Canada, Provinces and Territories

Table Contents:

    * PERSONS; CANADA; TOTAL IMMIGRANTS [V16]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; TOTAL EUROPE [V17]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; GREAT BRITAIN [V18]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; FRANCE [V19]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; GERMANY [V20]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; NETHERLANDS [V21]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; GREECE [V22]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; ITALY [V23]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; PORTUGAL [V24]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; OTHER EUROPE [V25]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; POLAND [V26]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; TOTAL ASIA [V27]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; INDIA [V28]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; HONG KONG [V29]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; VIETNAM [V30]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; PHILIPPINES [V31]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; OTHER ASIA [V32]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; AUSTRALASIA [V33]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; TOTAL UNITED STATES, WEST INDIES [V34]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; UNITED STATES [V35]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; WEST INDIES [V36]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; ALL OTHER COUNTRIES [V37]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; AFRICA [V38]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; OTHER NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA [V39]
    * PERSONS; CANADA; SOUTH AMERICA [V40]

Each series has the following characteristics:

• it belongs to a table of one or more related series,
• identified by a unique alpha-numeric series identifier, e.g. V35, consisting of the letter 'V' followed by one or more numbers. (Note: Some CHASS documentation calls this a 'label')
• a series title
• a scaling factor and unit of measurement, e.g. unscaled rate, units, millions, etc.
• a begin date, end date, and frequency, e.g. weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc., from which is calculated the number of data points (e.g. 264 (non-empty: 252)),
• a precision note indicating the presence or absence of decimals,
• the date when the time-series was last updated,
• a hierarchical relationship to other series in the matrix, formerly expressed as a matrix numbering scheme (e.g. 09946.1.1.1.1.2.1;CANSIM I only), now expressed as dimensions (CANSIM II only)
• footnote(s)
• a series of data points which constitute the data per se.
• Note: the CHASS interface also provides links to the table display from which the series is drawn, as well as (where applicable) to the corresponding series in CANSIM I.

For example (CHASS interface):

CANSIM II SERIES V25
TABLE NUMBER: 510006
TABLE TITLE: IMMIGRANTS TO CANADA, BY COUNTRY OF LAST PERMANENT RESIDENCE
Data Sources: IMDB (Integrated Meta Data Base) Numbers:
# 3601 - Estimates of Total Population, Canada, Provinces and Territories
SERIES TITLE: PERSONS; CANADA; OTHER EUROPE
CANSIM I Series Number: D35
SERIES FREQUENCY: Quarterly
SCALING FACTOR: units
DECIMALS: 0


Year       1st Quarter     2nd Quarter     3rd Quarter     4th Quarter

1955	        1345	        4242	        2741	        1634	
1956	        1842	        5847	        4674	        8288	
1957	       18399	       26936	        9327	        4546	
1958	        2800	        6744	        5223	        3076	
1959	        2086	        5473	        2580	        2703	
1960	        1765	        5366	        2676	        2808	
...
[more data]
...
2000	        5482	        6735	        7989	        7752	
2001	        7580	        7190	        7204	        6089	
2002	        7157	        7590	        6079	         n/a	

The table and series information is displayed in different ways in the two most commonly used interfaces that have been created to provide access to this database. One interface has been developed by Statistics Canada (also used in CANSIM II on E-stat), the other by Computing in the Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS), at the University of Toronto.

Access restrictions

• CANSIM via Statistics Canada web site: Unrestricted fee-based service ($3.00 per series)
• CANSIM via E-stat: Restricted to University of Toronto faculty, students, and staff, as well as walk-in users, under terms of the Depository Services Program agreement.
• CANSIM via CHASS web site: Restricted to faculty, students, and staff of subscribing universities, including the University of Toronto, for academic research and teaching purposes only.
• Academic users wishing to use the data for non-academic consultation purposes, or commercial uses, as well as other users not part of the academic community of a subscribing university should contact Statistics Canada directly, or use the Statistics Canada WWW interface to CANSIM at <http://cansim2.statcan.ca>.

Versions

Terminology: translating between CANSIM I and CANSIM II

Documentation

Documentation on the retrieval interfaces
• Statistics Canada interface: user guide and animated tutorial

• CHASS interface: CHASS interface to CANSIM II (English language)
  Documentation on table and series content

• Statistical methods contains documentation of major concepts, variables, and statistical units, as well as links to discussions of methodologies, questionnaires, etc.

• Alternatively, locate the print source in which a concept or variable was first introduced, for a discussion of definitions, methodology, etc. Search in:
  • Online catalogue of products and services
  • CANSIM I on CHASS
  • Statistics Canada Library Bibliocat database
  • Statistics Canada database

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