The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics requires a Secure Compute Environment Testbed to facilitate secure data access and allow for data linkage and sharing between agencies as part of the National Secure Data Service Demonstration Project. 

Following the vision and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building (ACDEB), the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) is funding a series of projects to demonstrate potential capabilities for a future National Secure Data Service (NSDS). Critical to this effort is a platform that will enable policymakers, researchers, and data users to securely work with federal data.

NCSES needs a Secure Compute Environment Testbed (SCET) that will serve as baseline replicable and extensible architecture to facilitate secure data access. In addition to providing a shared resource for data linkage and sharing by federal, state, and local agencies, along with tribal organizations, the SCET must include cutting edge tools and technology, meet federal security requirements for data access, and offer fully integrated user-centered support. The latter is especially important for supporting smaller organizations and agencies with few resources or lacking a data infrastructure altogether.

The SCET’s debut will represent the culmination of years of thought leadership and legislation and must set the stage for successful expansion into a full-scale National Secure Data Service (NSDS).

NORC will build and deliver the Secure Compute Environment Testbed for NCSES. 

NORC’s solution provides a secure, flexible computing environment supported by a responsive helpdesk team along with continuing education and training modules tailored for entry-level to advanced researchers. NORC assembled a team of former federal executives, research technology innovators, skilled researchers, and industry-leading experts in automated server validation, Privacy Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL), and homomorphic encryption (HE) technologies to design and build a modern platform that enables secure cloud-based computing for researchers across government agencies.

Emerging privacy preserving methodologies are at the heart of the SCET. Our solution embraces PPRL and enables adaptation to fluctuating resource requirements of future technologies and the dynamic needs of researchers and data providers. It empowers NCSES to flexibly meet evolving and unanticipated requirements for a potential NSDS in support of the Evidence Act’s overarching vision – secure data use for evidence generation as a routine and critical function of government at all levels.