Research Guides: International Conflict Resolution, Military Affairs, & Security: Find Data & Statistics

Data Help

Get help finding data or performing statistical analyses! Schedule a data consultation with your librarian or drop by Research Data Services (RDS). We can help you find and use numeric or geospatial data.

Data Workstations at Lehman Library

Software: ArcGIS, Adobe Suite, R, Stata, SPSS, SAS, & more
Lehman Open Hours

Consultations in Research Data Services (Lehman Library, IAB-215)

Guiding Questions to Help Find Data

Before you begin to search for your data, work through these questions and note your answers. They will help you in your search. Consider the Data & Statistics for Journalists Research Guide for more information.

Do you already know this data exists?
- For instance, if you found it referenced in a newspaper or other article, note the citation, or any related information like who collected the data and when. You may be able to use this to find the original data source--even if it takes a little detective work with your friendly librarian!
Do you need raw data or statistics?
What geography level do you need? (country, state, city, neighborhood, etc.)
Are there time contraints (a range of years, monthly, quarterly, annually)?
What is the unit of analysis?
- Are you comparing individuals or groups?
- Do you need microdata or macrodata?
What is the topic or subject?
- You can search by topic in the Data by Topic tab.
- Think about who might collect this data, and for what purpose (collectors of data include: government agencies, nonprofits, NGOs, businesses, and academic researchers).
Do you need demographic data (characteristics that define a population, such as: gender, age, ethnicity, language, housing, employment)?
- If so, then you may find that most of the data you need is available from the US Census Bureau and/or the NYC Department of Planning (DCP).
Do you know what kind of analysis you want to perform on your data?
Are you interested in creating maps (using spatial data)?
What software will you use? Where can you get training and help? Can you download this software and/or use it on campus?

Data Depositories

GIS Data: Geospatial Data Repository.
Numeric Data: Resources for Statistical Applications

Statistics

Statista: Statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.
Statistical Insight: Statistical information from the U.S. government, international intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), state governments, and private sources.
Sage Stats: Database of 6,000+ current and historical data series from federal and state government and non-government sources.

Arms & Defense Data

Arms Sales Monitor
Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1998-2004: An annual report delivered to Congress by the Congressional Research Service
DSCA Major Arms Sales
Military Balance Plus
World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers

Political and Economic Data

IMF eLibrary: Access to data and statistical tools, as well as books and reports. Topics covered include macroeconomics, development, trade and aid, technical assistance, and poverty reduction.
Emerging Markets Information Service : Provides financial and economic information on emerging market countries.
Polling the Nations: Contains polls taken on a variety of subjects all over the world. Each record consists of one poll question and the participants' responses.
UNdata: More than 450 statistical time series for countries from around the world covering a wide range of economic and socio-demographic topics.
World Development Indicators (World Bank): WDI is a comprehensive database on development data covering 575 indicators, 225 countries, and 18 regional and income groups. Coverage varies.