Services We Offer

Below is a list of current services available to SSD Users. The links direct to our SSCS SolarWinds ticketing system, and require authentication.

  • General Service Request – [requires UChicago login]  for answers to otherwise uncategorized questions. If you cannot find what you seek below, use this link.

 

Software

Our group maintains access to a number of statistical packages for researchers, ranging from Matlab, Stata, SAS and R, to Fortran, and Julia.

 

Computing Accounts

SSCS provides shell accounts on our compute systems for eligible SSD Faculty, Staff, Graduate Students, and researchers.

  • Storage: 100GB students / 1TB Faculty [additional available]
  • Access to versions Matlab, Stata, R, compilers, SAS, etc.
  • 50GB of aggregate memory usage
  • Graphical Access via the EasyVNC SSH client

SSCS also maintains a cluster environment where researchers within the Division can run scale-out parallel jobs.

  • Use the Matlab DCS license, a 500-worker cluster
  • Submit simultaneous tasks in R, Stata, to the cluster of 32 nodes
  • Gain access to memory for jobs requiring more than 100GB of memory

 

Storage & Group Management

Access to shared storage and group permissions are managed by the SSCS Research Support Group. Labs shares are maintained for Faculty research projects, with the goal of ensuring security and availability of materials. Learn more about how to access storage on the SSCS FAQ.

 

Desktop & Devices Support

The Operations Team manages:

  • Hardware & Software Purchasing
  • Software Updates
  • Backup support – according to University guidelines, individuals are responsible for the backups of their systems. To that end, SSCS supports a backup environment to empower our users to meet that responsibility.

 

Qualtrics

Social Sciences Computing Services is pleased to provide licensed Qualtrics Survey Services for use by Social Sciences Division Faculty and Graduate Students. Qualtrics provides a robust system for generating, publishing and analyzing survey data, coupled with a powerful interface. In addition, Qualtrics provides online training for small groups and classes.

To create an account please follow the steps here at:
How do I get a fully functional Qualtrics Account in the Social Sciences Division?

 

Data Collaborator Agreements for SSD Faculty Researchers

Access to University of Chicago data and Information Technology resources is provided with the understanding that the collaboration must always advance the research of the SSD University of Chicago sponsoring Principal Investigator (PI).

The Data Collaborator agreement is primarily intended for people who otherwise have no active University of Chicago affiliation, including former University of Chicago students or post-doctoral scholars who will continue collaborating with a University of Chicago PI under the auspices of the Social Sciences Division. Intended users can also be an unaffiliated external collaborator who is actively working with a University of Chicago PI in ways that advance the their research and who needs a CNET ID to access the Sponsoring PIs research projects, their datasets, and/or University of Chicago resources. Again, collaboration with intended users must always be in a manner that advances the University of Chicago Principal Investigator’s research.

For more information visit our Data Collaborator Agreement webpage.

 

TAG Accounts

The University’s Trusted Agent [Guest] Program (TAG) is managed by Identity Management Services under the University’s Chief Information Security Officer and the Information Security team. SSCS can request TAG accounts on behalf of departments in the Social Science Division.

Within the University of Chicago, the TAG account serves to allow incoming employees to be entered in the central registry, prior to entry into the Human Resource database; the TAG account allows faculty and other appointees to ‘bridge’ their accounts; the TAG account allows email forwarding and wireless access for University of Chicago employees for a limited time.

Outside the University of Chicago, TAG accounts are targeted at contractors who need to conduct work on behalf of the university and are contracted through the university’s procurement processes.

TAG accounts are not intended for collaborators at other institutions and are not intended for unpaid work. TAG accounts will not grant the user access to buildings, library, or other full-features of a staff, student, or faculty account.

If project access is required for a collaborator at another institution, please first start with the Data Collaborator Agreement.

To submit a TAG request, go to the SSCS Ticketing Portal.

If you have questions about TAG accounts, you can contact ssd-dso@uchicago.edu.

 

REDCap

REDCap is a survey collection software that is HIPAA compliant. At the moment, SSCS is in the early trial phase and there is limited availability for access. Projects led by Principal Investigators with familiarity and direct need for REDCap will take priority.

For more detail on REDCap access and terms of use, please see the REDCap webpage.

 

SurveyCTO

Social Sciences Computing Services is pleased to provide licensed SurveyCTO for use by Social Sciences Division Faculty and Graduate Students. SurveyCTO is a great option if your survey requires offline capabilities, such as research field locations with limited or no wireless connection. SurveyCTO is compatible with Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), Computer Assisted in-Person Interviewing (CAPI), mobile app data collection, and webform data collection.

To create an account, please follow the steps at the link below:
How do I get a SurveyCTO Account in the Social Sciences Division?