Research Desk: Databases on Ag, Insider Trading; Reports on Migration, LGBTI, Food Supply

Before I begin with a new roundup of resources and reports, I want to take a moment to thank you for your growing interest in this column.

The Internet is an amazing research resource but often discovery of quality reference tools and reports can be challenging, especially when you think about how quickly new resources appear and often disappear.

I hope that these columns not only alert you to useful material but will help you build up your own collection of reference resources, which you can save on your own computer, or utilize a tool like The Wayback Machine to archive it for yourself and others. We discussed how to do this (for free) in a January 2015 column.

Now, here are some resources worth considering:

Databases

Global Agricultural Information Network

“USDA’s Global Agriculture Information Network (GAIN) provides timely information on the agricultural economy, products and issues in foreign countries since 1995 that are likely to have an impact on United States agricultural production and trade. U.S. Foreign Service officers working at posts overseas collect and submit information on the agricultural situation in more than 130 countries to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), which maintains the GAIN reports.

OpenInsider

There are many places to find data about transactions made by public company insiders from companies that trade on U.S. stock exchanges, including directly from the source of the data, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

We’re making mention of OpenInsider because it’s a one-stop source for this type of data (also known as “Form 4” data).

We like the options to search for data, a number of quick links to view certain types of results (like Top Insider Purchases This Month) and the way results are presented.

Here’s an example: the OpenInsider page for Facebook’s chief operating officer (COO), Sheryl Sandberg.

Recent Research Reports

From the UK House of Lords Library

Treatment of LGBTI Citizens Worldwide

From the UK House of Commons Library

Somalia: September 2015 update

Migration Pressures in Europe

The Sustainable Development Goals and the Post-2015 Development Agenda

From the European Parliament Research Service

Unfair Trading Practices in the Business-to-Business Food Supply Chain

Recent Migration Flows to the EU           

Reducing Air Pollution — National Emission Ceilings for Air Pollutants

Consumer Protection in the EU: Policy Overview

From the U.S. Congressional Research Service

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): Commercial Outlook for a New Industry

Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive

Cybersecurity: Data, Statistics, and Glossaries

Gary Price (gprice@mediasourceinc.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington, D.C., metro area. He is the author of INFOdocket (@infodocket) for Library Journal, and was a co-founder and senior editor at ResourceShelf and DocuTicker. He previously served as contributing editor to Search Engine Land and director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.