b'INTRODUCTIONExpanding Access and users, even seasoned users continue to make Use of the Data use of derived variables, such as total household The first mission of the HRS is to collect high val- income and wealth, which are very time-con-ue data on aging. The second mission is to sharesuming to create. Other contributions include it with the public. The HRS places a premium onuser-friendly versions of CAMS as well as income early and open access to data while implementingand wealth imputations (which help fill in missing state-of-the-art data security measures to protectinformation). RAND has also created a family confidentiality. There are three levels of datadata file that contains a cleaned, processed, and security. The vast majority of the data are publicstreamlined collection of variables related to the data available to all registered users. Sensitiverespondents family including a subset of avail-health data, like biomarkers and informationable characteristics of all participant and spouse on prescription drugs, require an extra stepchildren, children-in-law, and grandchildren.in registration. Most of the information fromFor those interested in conducting compar-administrative linkages is restricted data andative research using the HRS sister studies, the requires submission of a separate licensingGateway to Global Aging Data (G2G) is another agreement, which ensures confidentiality butuseful resource created and maintained by re-limits accessibility. For those who do not meetsearchers at the University of Southern California. the requirements of the licensing agreement, theThe G2G site (g2aging.org) offers a digital library HRS has always maintained a secure data enclaveof survey questions, a search engine for finding on site at the Institute for Social Research. Tocomparable questions across surveys, and identi- kinds (including working papers) are nearing increase accessibility to these data, which arecally defined variables for cross-country analysis. 3,500. A public resource like the HRS is especially especially valuable for policy analysis, the HRSvaluable in the training of new researchers. The has now created a virtual desktop infrastructure,Impact HRS has been used in442 doctoral dissertations. which allows users to work with some of the re- The HRS exists to support research on aging andMany of those new scholars would not have done stricted data through fully secure remote desktopevery metric suggests it continues to grow inresearch in aging without the availability of the connection to the enclave.its impact. Annual website visits have climbedHRS.Figure A-5 shows the growth in the number Another major asset that widens access tofrom91,063 to 286,815 between 2006 andof HRS publications. a broader array of potential users is the RAND2015. Annual data product downloads increased versions of HRS data. Researchers at the RANDfrom 18,805to 46,638over that period.User Corporation have created a user-friendly versionregistrations per year have gone from 1,248 toThe HRS exists to support research of much of the HRS public data. Derived variables2,565, and the total number of registered userson aging and every metric suggests covering a broad, though not complete, rangenow stands at 24,798. Annual peer-reviewedit continues to grow in its impact.of measures have been constructed and namedjournal publications broke 100 for the first time consistently across waves. While the RANDin 2009 and were at 190in 2015.The total now contribution is a good starting place for newstands at over 1,800, and publications of all 15'