Now that it's just warm enough to get in a boat, the NICAR database library has updated the Coast Guard's U.S. Recreational Boat Accident Database.

WHAT'S IN IT?
The updated data has accident reports from 1995 through 2011. Accidents involving vessel damage of more than $2,000 or disappearance of a person under circumstances that indicate death or injury are reported. The data include information on the nature of the accident, the vessels involved, plus any injuries and/or deaths. See the record layouts on each of the four tables for more detailed information.

The data ...

Fresh out of CAR 2013 and itching for data to work with? The NICAR database libarary is offering discounts on popular federal databases to help you get started. The data library updates databases on a variety of topics. You can explore our data by searching for a specific database, or looking for data by topic or by agency.

Here are the databases we're offering at a discount:

$50 for SBA disaster loan data
Recently updated to include Hurricane Sandy! Track money provided to businesses and homeowners for disaster losses. A large database with more than a million records and ...

In the wake of a disaster, individuals and business owners are often left with severely damaged property. Many turn for help to the Small Business Administration, which approves low-interest loans to help rebuild. For declared disasters in 2011 alone, the Small Business Administration approved over $1 billion in loans.

NICAR has updated the SBA database of these loans, which is now current through Sept. 2012. 

WHAT'S IN IT?
Disaster loans through the SBA are one of the primary forms of federal assistance for individuals and non-farm, private-sector businesses who have suffered losses. The data have information on the borrower ...

Which businesses in your community have loans backed by the Small Business Administration? Find out using NICAR's recently updated SBA 7(a) loan data, which includes loans from 1953 through September, 2012.

WHAT'S IN IT?
The 7(a) program is the SBA's most common loan program. It provides loans to small business owners who can't obtain financing through traditional channels. The program operates through private-sector lenders who provide loans that are, in turn, guaranteed by the SBA. The SBA 7(a) program itself has no funds for direct lending or grants.

The data contain information on ...

The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data have just been updated in the NICAR Database Library -- and we'll help you turn it into a story.

The Workplace Safety database from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has just been updated in the NICAR Database Library.

WHAT’S IN IT?

This ten-table database holds information on workplace inspections performed by both federal and state OSHA offices in all states and U.S. territories, from 1972 to Oct 2011 – just under 4 million records.

OSHA classifies businesses by their location, name and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), making it possible to analyze inspections, violations and accidents involving a certain occupation or those in a given region or city. The data also include details on the ...

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after releasing its "Cheating Our Children" series that identified suspicious test scores around the country, provided the NICAR Database Library with test scores data gathered from state education departments.

From the AJC: "The data include state testing data paired in approximate cohorts by school, test subject and grade. An approximate cohort would pair, for example, average third-grade math scores at a school in year 1 with fourth-grade math scores at that school in year 2."

The data are currently available for free to all IRE members and can be downloaded from the Database Library website at http ...

Now is a good time to investigate the bridges in your state and community: NICAR has just updated the National Bridge Inventory.

Current through 2011, the data can help you assess the soundness of bridges in your area. Key fields can be used for an overall indication of a bridge's quality. There are also fields detailing the year the bridge was built and the feature intersected, for example if the bridge goes over a body of water or if it intersects with another highway or roadway.The records represent the most recent inspection for each bridge (which could be ...

We are pleased to announce that Elizabeth Lucas is joining IRE today as the new director of our National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR) Database Library.

Liz comes to IRE from the Center for Public Integrity, where she analyzed data for investigative projects on political, environmental and health topics. Among the projects she worked on was Poisoned Places, which won the Sigma Delta Chi award for Public Service journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists and was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize and the IRE Award. 

She previously worked in the Database Library while getting her master's degree ...