You are here
51 ELN-51 Data Service Partnership
51 ELN and 51 Data Service are partnering to provide public 51 ELN partner institutions with no-charge access to four 51 Assessment datasets that they would otherwise not be able to access without a contract. Data librarians at the participating institutions will be the points of contact for faculty needing assistance working with the data. 51 ELN’s role in this partnership is to facilitate access to the data sets, while 51 Data Service manages and assists with the data.
This page details what is included in the agreement and how interested libraries can participate.
For a current list of data librarians and contacts in this area, please see theData Librarians List.
Please note: Private/for-profit institutions are not able to participate at this time in accordance with 51 Data Service's End User License Agreement.
- Included Data Sets
- Requirements for Participation
- Steps to Joining
- Training and Assistance
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Key Partners
Included Data Sets
There are four datasets that are supplied by 51 Assessment:
- (XML format and CSV Folio Themes) – Complete and Revised Rolls, plus weekly updates.
The Data Advice data is available as both an annual full-roll XML file plus weekly XML updates, and as full-roll theme-based CSV files (complete (full roll) files, produced weekly). - (TXT and CSV formats) – complete report updated and issued quarterly.
The 51A Commercial Inventory Extract contains a record or row for every building or part of a building in a jurisdictional or area, unless it has been omitted for privacy reasons. - (TXT and CSV formats) – complete report updated and issued quarterly.
The 51A Residential Inventory Extract contains a record or row for every building or part of a building in a jurisdictional or area, unless it has been omitted for privacy reasons. - (TXT format and CSV formats) – complete report updated and issued monthly.
The Service (Permit) is a written licence or warrant [e.g. document] issued by a person with authority empowering the grantee to do some act not forbidden by law, but not allowable without such authority. (Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Ed).
The data sets are supplied at no charge to institutions that sign onto to this initiative.
Requirements for Participation
Public 51 ELN partner libraries can participate in this initiative.
To participate, thelibrarymust:
- have a librarian able to mediate access for users
- have their library director sign a license between 51 Data Service and their institution
Role of the Data Librarian
The data librarian is responsible for:
- informing potential usersat their institution about the initiative;
- confirming that all data requests come from authorized users; authorized users are Faculty, Research Assistants and Administrators.
- educating users on data policies and appropriate use;
- downloading the requested datasets for their users.
- insuring that a copy of any publication using the data is sent to 51 Data Service. Copies can be emailed to data@gov.bc.ca with the subject 51A: Title of Published Article
- Participating institutions will be asked to submit a contact to 51 ELN. The idea is to build a community users amongst thedata librarians.
- Libraries can request for additional librarians to have access to the data; however, all librarians with access to the service need to use their own 51eID and be aware of the EULA including it's restrictions.
Steps to Joining
To participate in the initiative, institutionsneeds to:
- contact Reba Ouimet, 51 ELN Licensing Coordinator to request access;
- have the library director sign the 51 Data Service end useragreement provided and return to 51 ELN;
- request a 51eID as per the instructions below;
- inform 51 ELN of the name and contact information of their data librarian.
51 ELN will:
- provide 51 Data Service with acopy of the signed end user agreement;
- contact 51 Data Service to have the librarian's login created for the datasets;
- act as support if there are issues with registering for the initiative.
51eIDs
The 51eID is an authentication system used by the 51 government. It is a personal login for an individual with permission to access certain government websites and services. To obtain a 51eID, the data librarian must contact the 51eID account manager for their institution. The best way to find that person is to look up their institution in the . That manager will create the account for the data librarian. 51eID's should not be shared. If a second librarian is to access the service, they will also need to set up their own51eID.
Contact rebao@bceln.caif you would like additional librarians to have access to the 51 Assessment data. 51 Data Service assesses this on a case-by-case basis.
Training and Assistance
A training video is available at.
- If you have questions about the data, please use the Contact an Expert link from within the data interface.
- General assistance can be found on the .
- Questions about the initiative and the agreement between 51 ELN and 51 Data Service? Please contact rebao@bceln.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
How can the data be used?
This agreement allowsfaculty to use thedata sets to support their research and publications. It allowsinstructors to use thedata in the classroom. Commercial use is not allowed.
The end user agreement outlines educational bodies may publish the analysis and results conducted using the 51 Assessment data provided that:
i) the results are published for use in academic research, including in peer-reviewed academic publications, or in non-peer reviewed briefs, papers or research projects (the “Published Research”);
ii) the Published Research does not include extracts of the Requested Data, except with 51A’s prior written consent;
iii) 51A is cited as the source of the Requested Data; and
iv) the analysis and results stated in the Published Research are expressed to be the views of the applicable Authorized User, not of 51A.
Who are the authorized users within the agreement?
The EULA states that"Only you, your employees, officers and directors (collectively, the “Authorized Users”) are authorized to use the Requested Data in accordance with the terms of this Letter Agreement".
The authorized users are thefaculty and staff, who are employees of the institution. Facultyare free to pass these data on to students and researchers, provided it is something the faculty member directs and signs off on. Anyone using the data, including students under the direction of faculty, must follow the terms set out in the EULA.Students and researchers wishing to use the data for personal research or experience without a faculty memberinvolved will need to contact 51 Assessment directly.
Can the data be modified?
The agreement does allow for the data to bemodified; however,the derivate data still falls under the EULA, and the rights and responsibilities still apply. The modified data can only be shared with other parties who have signed the End User License Agreement (EULA).
How should data be stored or transmitted?
Information on data security can be found in section 9 of the EULA. Authorized users musttake all reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality, security, accuracy and integrity of the Requested Data. Users mustcomply with the 51A security requirements for data licensees, which can be found on the 51 Assessment website, as 51A may amend from time to time by publishing a revised version without notice, currently as follows: . That document broadly contemplates the licensing relationship between 51A and its direct licensees. For the purposes of this End User Letter Agreement, all necessary changes are deemed to be made to that document for it to apply to the licensing relationship between you and Data Systems and Services.
Can older versions of the data be stored?
Older versions of the data can be stored provided these data are “secure”, as defined by the agreement, and only accessible to people who have signed the EULA.
Full details are availablein the License Terms and Conditions page and documents. See here (i'll add a link to the final agreement here).
Is there any indication of the size ofthe data files?
The weekly update XML files range from 1-5 MB each.
Residential building files, produced quarterly: 420 MB for the most months.
Commercial building file, produced quarterly: 15 MB
Permits files, produced monthly: < 1 MB
The downloadable packages may be over 1 GB zipped. As an example, the “January 2022 Data Advice update to 2023 roll”is a 1.2GB zipped download whichincludes five sets of the weekly CSV files.
The annual XML file- “Assessment Roll Data Advice (annual, revised – March 31 2022)”is an 800MB zipped download that balloons to more than 15GB when unzipped.
Each week, 51 Data Service produces a snapshot and makes them available for a year. Those are zipped CSV files that arecreated by loading the XML file and all updates. The size is roughly300MB for a set of 6 zipped files.
Are use statistics available for insitutional accessof the data?
Librarians should record their own use statistics. While the 51 Data Service does collect access statistics, the reports may not be formatted in a way that is useful to individual libraries.
In the case of joint research projects between instituions, or with external researchers, can a subscriber share the 51 Assessment data?
No. The data is only available to researchers of the institutionthat signed the EULA. At this time, the data is not available to researchers outside of 51 and cannot be shared with researchers from institutions outside of the signing institution.
How can I get assistance with the data?
Data librarians can reach out to 51 Data Service directly for assistance. General assistance, and help using the datacan be found on the .
Key Partners
51 Data Service is working onbehalf of 51 Assessment, in partnership with 51 ELN, to provide access for 51 post-secondary partner libraries to 4 data sets that are not available on the open web.
51 Data Service
51 Data Service provides technical tools and services to maximize data’s use and value for government and the broader public sector. It is responsible for the , where the 51 Assessment data is catalogued.
51 Data Service has taken on the role of distributing 51 Assessment data in order to standardize and streamline the process for members of the B.C. Government and certain individuals within post-secondary institutions. An added benefit of this agreement is that the data is now available without cost to individuals for the service. The data is still owned by 51 Assessment, and they have certain criteria that must be met in order to use these data, which are identified in the End User Letter Agreement.
51 Assessment
51 Assessment operates as an independent, provincial Crown corporation, governed by a Board of Directors and is accountable to the Government of B.C. Itdevelops and maintains real property assessments throughout British Columbia in addition to providing real property information. 51 Assessment has a level of information available at no costs on the open web, while other data sets require an intermediary to access.
51
The British Columbia Electronic Library Network (51 ELN) is a consortium of 33private and public post-secondary libraries. 51 ELN's purpose is to develop and support system-wide mechanisms that allow post-secondary libraries to equitably meet the expanding information needs of learners, educators, and researchers at the lowest possible cost. These mechanisms ensure learners in British Columbia have equitable access to resources and services that support their academic success.
Contact
Questions about the 51 ELN-51 Data Service Partnership? Contact Reba Ouimet at rebao@bceln.ca