| State Data Center
The US Census Bureau established the State Data Center (SDC) program in 1978 to create an effective vehicle for the dissemination of data produced by the Census Bureau to state and local governments. Under the memorandum of agreement between the Census Bureau and the District of Columbia, the District’s SDC becomes an official source of Census Bureau data. This allows the SDC access to data on an embargo basis, that is, prior to the Census Bureau’s release of data to the general public. In addition, the SDC receives Census Bureau data products, specialized training, and technical support at no cost. In return, the SDC is required to disseminate data and to provide its clientele with technical assistance in locating, understanding, and operating on data from the Census Bureau and other sources.
In each state the SDC contains one Lead, one Coordinating, and several Affiliate organizations. In the District of Columbia, the Lead is located in the Office of Planning, while the Coordinating agency is located in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The following are Affiliate agencies: Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library, the DC State Center for Health Statistics, the DC Marketing Center, and DC Agenda’s Neighborhood Information Services unit. These organizations assist in disseminating data, but each tends to have a specialty.
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