Pacific North-west based researchers in the fields of business, economics, geography, health services, population, public policy and sociology have always had trouble gathering restricted information as their nearest Research Data Center is in Berkeley.

That is, for every small scrap of information, which is necessary for their research, they need to travel 800 miles south to California. But, not any more.

Officials from the U.S. Census Bureau and the University of Washington have jointly announced the opening of a new Census RDC within the University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences.

Through the newly established RDC at UW, qualified researchers can gain access to extensive Census Bureau data including demographic, economic, public health and household surveys which will aid in their studies to accelerate.

"The Census Bureau runs a whole host of surveys-there are population surveys, but also surveys about housing, manufacturing, service jobs...a whole host of things designed to take the pulse of American society and American activity," said Mark Ellis Director of the Northwest Regional Data Center and a professor of Geography at the university based in Seattle.

Ellis believes the new research data center will train a new generation of quantitative social scientists by offering opportunities which did not exist few years ago. He thinks that now with the greater access to data, the findings of the researchers will be more accurate and hence hopes it will not only help widen the perspective on America's social landscape but also expand the collaboration between the US Census Bureau, local universities and academic researchers.

But, before one can be granted access to the RDC data, researchers must submit proposals to the Census Bureau for approval.

The NWCRDC is funded by the Washington State Office of Financial Management, the UW College of Arts and Sciences, the UW Provost's Office, the UW School of Social Work and a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Other cities with research data centers include Boston; Berkeley, Calif.; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Ann Arbor, Mich.; New York; Ithaca, N.Y.; Durham, N.C.; and Minneapolis.