Due to current restrictions of the LINKAGE Platform, the Gateway Enclave is only available to users affiliated with a U.S.-based institution who possess a U.S. government-issued photo ID (U.S. driver’s license or state ID, U.S. passport, or U.S. passport card). The Enclave can only be accessed from within the United States.
The Gateway to Global Aging Data Enclave is a secure remote-access computing desktop hosted on the National Institute on Aging's LINKAGE platform. Through the Enclave, users are provided access to the Gateway's Harmonized data products and original survey data. The Enclave also provides users with analytic software such as R, SAS, and Stata, as well as productivity software including Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Notepad++.
To apply for Enclave access, researchers must first create a
Gateway user account and then complete a Public-Use Data Application.
Data may not be exported from the Enclave. Users may only export statistical summaries (e.g., frequency tabulations, means, variances, regression coefficients, etc.) and analysis programs. All output is monitored and must be approved by a Gateway compliance officer prior to download. Researchers may upload external data to their Enclave workspace.
There are two levels of data available in the Enclave: public-use data and sensitive-use data. Each study that deposits data in the Enclave determines which level their data will be classified under. Enclave users may apply for access to both levels of data, but separate applications are required. Importantly, the sensitive-use data application requires documentation confirming that the researcher has received approval from their institution’s IRB to conduct analyses using sensitive-use data.
The following public-use data files are currently available in the Gateway. Updated and new files will be added over time.
Health and Retirement Study (HRS)
English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)
Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI)
Chilean Social Protection Survey (SPS)
Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA)
The Enclave hosts several sensitive-use data files. These data do not contain personally identifiable information but have been classified as sensitive by the contributing HRS-INS studies. They include contextual information linked to survey respondents, such as environmental exposures and historical policy variables.
To apply for sensitive-use data access, researchers must first obtain public-use data access and then complete an
Application for Gateway Enclave Sensitive-Use Data.
The following sensitive-use data files are currently available in the Gateway. Updated and new files will be added over time.
Health and Retirement Study (HRS)
English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)
Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI)
To apply for a shared workspace, each member must submit their own Gateway Enclave Workspace application and provide the following matching information:
If the shared workspace requires access to sensitive-use data files, each member must also submit a separate sensitive-use data application, request access to the same types of sensitive-use data, and provide IRB documentation from their own institution confirming approval for the proposed research.
Access can only be granted to files that have been approved for all members of the shared workspace.
For help getting started using the Enclave, check out our introductory webinar on using the Gateway Enclave:
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Merging Harmonized Data with Household-Level Original Survey Data
Load Harmonized LASI
use "filepath\H_LASI_a3.dta"
Merge LASI household survey data
merge m:1 hhid using "filepath\lasi_w1b_hh.dta"
Merging Harmonized Core Data with Harmonized End of Life Data
Load Harmonized HRS
use "filepath\H_HRS_d.dta"
Merge Harmonized HRS End of Life
merge 1:1 hhidpn using "filepath\H_HRS_EOL_a.dta"
Appending Harmonized Data from Multiple Countries
Load Harmonized ELSA
use "filepath\H_ELSA_g3.dta"
Append Harmonized LASI
append using "filepath\H_LASI_a3.dta"