Community Indicators

Job Posting: NH Health Statistics Analyst

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:02:00 +0000

From NNIP:

Now Open: Senior Data Analyst Position in Health Statistics in NH

Please distribute!
NH is hiring a Senior Data Analyst in its Health Statistics Section in the Division of Public Health Services. Applications from far and wide are welcome!
Job announcement is at:
http://www.dhhs.state.nh.us/DHHS/HUMANRESOURCES/LIBRARY/Career+Opportunities/42854.htm

The application can be found at:
http://www.nh.gov/hr/employmentlisting.html

Please feel free to circulate.
Karla R. Armenti, ScD.
Chief Health Statistics & Data Management Division of Public Health Services NH Department of Health and Human Services
29 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03301
Phone (603) 271-8425
Fax (603) 271- 7623
karmenti@dhhs.state.nh.us

Job Posting: NeighborWorks America Senior Analyst

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:01:00 +0000

From NNIP:

Job Description

TITLE: Senior Planning, and Evaluation Analyst
Division: Corporate Planning, Performance, and Strategy (CPPS)
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
REPORTS TO: Director CPPS
LOCATION: Washington DC

GENERAL PURPOSE

Support Corporate strategies and performance by supporting the Director in strategic planning, corporate performance measurement, scorecard development and implementation, program evaluation and the improvement of coordination and integration of process and data systems across the functional divisions of the organization. Ensure the success of the Corporation’s commitments by assisting in the development of measures for success for special projects, grants and other key strategic programs.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Business owner within CPPS for the day to day management of the NFMC program evaluation consultant team. This requires a strong knowledge and background in quantitative public policy research, the ability to communicate clearly and concisely to venders and senior management. Develop any required summaries and or presentations as may be needed.
Assist in designing and implementing corporate performance measurement tools and systems, conducting analyses for management and key external stakeholders (Board, OMB, Congress).
Coordinates with Director, Data Collection and Special Projects in Organizational Assessment Division (OAD) regarding planning and implementation of data collection procedures for maximum effectiveness.
Assists in annual budgeting process, including all CPPS coordination and facilitation across divisions.
In coordination with Program Measurement Management Consultants, assists in establishing and maintaining efficiencies in data collection, definition, and analysis to ensure continued improvement in the quality of data collected from NWOs and other community development corporations.
Assists in ongoing efforts to develop a data dictionary and establish a standard for definition of data points that will be consistent across use of that data.

SECONDARY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Represents CPPS at internal meetings and on task groups as assigned, and represents NeighborWorks® America at conferences and workshops as assigned by CPPS Director.
Ensures collaboration at the corporate level for cross-divisional programs and activities by identifying overlapping efforts.

NATURE OF WORK CONTACTS
Collaboration with officers, senior managers and program staff of multiple business units to provide information, interpret data, and support evaluation efforts. Interacts with staff of NWO and community development corporations to provide information, advise, interpret data and provide benchmarking and other tools to enhance their self-analysis.

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
Undergraduate degree in public policy, business, economics or finance, graduate degree strongly preferred and 6 – 8 years of experience in strategic and business process planning, performance evaluation, statistical analysis or any combination of education and experience that provide the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

At least 2 years experience in managing large complex projects with multiple stakeholders
Ability to work independently and make responsible decisions
Experience in statistical analysis, including multivariate statistics
MS Office products proficiency. Computer skills with database and business intelligence tools
Strong interpersonal skills
Excellent verbal and written skills sufficient to develop reports, explain complex information and make presentations of complex data

PHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS

Fast paced working environment, extensive computer usage, and ongoing complex evaluative thinking, multitasking on a regular basis, extensive collaboration
Travel approximately 15%

NeighborWorks® America is committed to providing a productive and safe environment. To achieve that goal, we conduct background & reference check investigations for all final applicants being considered for employment.

Equal Opportunity Employment M/D/F/V

Job Posting: NeighborWorks America Analyst

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:00:00 +0000

From NNIP:

Job Description

TITLE: Analyst, Corporate Planning, Performance, and Strategy
Division: Corporate Planning, Performance, and Strategy
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
REPORTS TO: CPPS Director
(half time position)
LOCATION: Washington DC

GENERAL PURPOSE

This job supports the CPPS division two ways: 1. Development of the annual corporate ‘scorecard’, timely & accurate submission & review of corporate quarterly results and, 2. Analysis of corporate performance data to provide the information necessary to inform program evaluation and planning. These functions require the ability to use technological tools to facilitate a robust interactive business intelligence environment that includes report design and implementation as well as the development of GIS/mapping capacity in the corporation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Requires a strong knowledge and background in statistical research for the social sciences, and the ability to communicate clearly and concisely. Develop any required summaries and or presentations as may be required.
Responsible for development, production and optimization of a series of updatable reports for use in resource development and informing partners.
Assists in managing the quarterly updates for the corporate scorecard, establish a protocol for update submissions, participate in the development of meaningful metrics for evaluating performance. Assist in preparation of scorecard for corporate officers and Board of Directors.
Assists in annual budgeting process, including CPPS coordination and facilitation across divisions.
Assists in the ongoing effort to streamline and improve the quality of data collected from NWOs and other CDCs. This may range from working with the PM MCs, to collaboration with specific districts or district efforts (the Gulf) to keeping minutes of the NWO data working group sessions.
Assists in ongoing efforts to develop a data dictionary.
Coordinates with Director, Data Collection and Special Projects in OAD, regarding their work in data collection design, planning and implementation.

SECONDARY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Represents CPPS at internal meetings and on task groups as assigned, and represents NeighborWorks® America at conferences and workshops as assigned by CPPS Director.
Works with other divisions as assigned to ensure internal customers are aware of other NeighborWorks® America activities that would assist in the achievement of the multi-year Strategic Plan and current goals.

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

A Bachelors degree is required in social sciences, economics, public policy research, or finance with strong statistical and research skills. An advanced degree in social sciences, economics, finance or public policy with a quantitative focus is preferred or any combination of education and experience that provides the following skills:
2-4 years work experience and demonstrated competency in research methods and statistical analysis.
Working knowledge of databases, able to use and manipulate large streams of data, experience with web-based technologies and proficiency in Microsoft office products
Knowledge of census data, geographical analysis, mapping or GIS applications.
Ability to work independently and make responsible decisions in accordance with established policies and procedures required;
Strong interpersonal and influencing skills sufficient to build working relationships internally and externally
Excellent verbal and written skills a must

PHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS

Fast paced working environment, extensive computer usage, and ongoing complex evaluative thinking, multitasking on a regular basis, extensive collaboration
Travel approximately 15%

Equal Opportunity Employment M/D/F/V

New Hospital Data Available Throughout USA

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:00:00 +0000

I'm pretty excited about the announcement by USA TODAY that they are providing a geographically-searchable database of hospital outcomes. If you go to U.S. Hospital Death Rates, you can see how well hospitals in your state or your community treat heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia patients (by seeing which percent of the patients don't survive.)

Last fall, I heard Brian Klepper make the case that a key part of the solution to the national health care crisis was greater transparency in medical outcome data. And he argued that this transparency will come -- must come -- from private sector actors. And he suggested that this movement was both inevitable and imminent.

So this effort from the USA TODAY is a first shot across the bow. Go to this page and enter your zip code and a distance, then see the results of the hospitals in your area. Select three hospitals to compare, then get the graphs. The data is risk-adjusted, meaning it takes into consideration how sick the patients were when they entered, and the data is presented within a context of the national averages. I could quickly see that if I have heart failure coming on, our local Mayo Clinic is better than the national average at treating it.

This might be a really useful tool for community indicator projects. In my community, we currently measure community satisfaction levels with the quality of health care available, as well as age-adjusted death rates for a variety of things. But we don't have a really good way to talk about the quality of our health care system, except by anecdote. This could be an important step.

Now we need more. If you have other links for transparent outcome data for hospitals/doctors/health care systems, please pass it on. If you have innovative indicators to share, pass them on as well -- let's see how different communities are addressing this issue.

Measuring Poverty: A Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:00 +0000

In preparation for Blog Action Day, and with a nudge from a piece I read by The Numbers Guy, I thought I'd talk about measuring poverty.

I think we know that how we measure poverty is flawed. This discussion of how world poverty started to be measured at a dollar a day is a backdrop to the real problem we have in the United States defining poverty. And while we anticipate the official poverty estimates to be released this month, we're still not sure we're measuring what we ought to be. Let me explain.

Here is the U.S. Census page on poverty, complete with definitions on how they measure poverty and poverty threshholds. Developed in 1963-64, they measure money income needed to sustain life, based on a presumed basket of required food. The Department of Health and Human Services uses its own poverty threshholds that they arrive at differently. While both have the same premise -- what is the bare dollar minimum needed to survive, based on assumptions made in the 1960's and adjusted for inflation since then -- HHS also recognizes geographical variability within the U.S., and has different threshholds for Alaska and Hawaii.

But we lack a common understanding of what poverty means. I've walked the favelas in Brazil and public housing in the States. I've worked one-on-one with the homeless and seen the difference between shelter and transitional housing. And what we mean by "poverty" is clearly context-specific -- see this effort in England to use lack of cell phones as a key indicator of child poverty. (Does this mean the entire world was poor in the early 1980s?)

The Joseph Rowntree foundation has just tried to create a new poverty standard for England. Their premise is that poverty is not being thought about properly -- we should instead be thinking about a minimum income needed to maintain a "socially acceptable standard of living." I'll let them explain:

This research aimed to find out what level of income people think is needed to afford a socially acceptable standard of living in Britain today, and to participate in society. The study compiled household budgets to calculate the first-ever minimum income standard (MIS) for Britain. Combining expert knowledge with in-depth consultation with members of the public, the MIS standard provides a new benchmark to inform future poverty debates and public policy decisions affecting the incomes of those worst off.

Tim Harford at Slate reacts to this study with a nice piece detailing some of the history of the Rowntree family, the history of poverty lines, and what the implications of this new approach might mean. It's a more amusing read than any discussion of poverty standards has a right to be, and I recommend taking a look.

But he noticed what the Rowntree folks found through focus groups -- a "socially acceptable standard of living" needed to participate in society means something different in every community. This suggests community-level income standards based on community needs. Is internet access necessary for community participation? Does your community require a personal automobile to successfully navigate the community and avoid being classified a second-classs citizen, or is your mass transit system a class-free service? The Rowntree Foundation set out to find a minimum income standard for England:

The groups recognised that people's needs vary. The MIS they constructed does not represent an acceptable living standard for every individual. Instead, it draws a line below which it is socially unacceptable for any individual to live.

And again:

A minimum standard of living in Britain today includes, but is more than just, food, clothes and shelter. It is about having what you need in order to have the opportunities and choices necessary to participate in society.

Tim Harford points out that the list of "what you need" is radically different than what we thought poor people needed in 1963:

The standard was set by focus groups working out what was and was not necessary "to participate in society." The results are frugal—there is a budget of £40 ($80) every two years to buy a suit, for instance—but they were always bound to be controversial. The list of essentials includes a self-catering vacation, a cell phone, and enough booze to get drunk twice a month.

So what would you need in your community to participate in society? What would your minimum income standards look like? Does this seem like a worthwhile exercise to try for your community? It might invigorate the debate over poverty and how to measure it, I suspect. What are your reactions?

Evidence-Based Public Health

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:30:00 +0000

I need to pass on another blog resource for you -- Evidence-Based Public Health. For those interested in health indicators, there's a number of resources available for you.

For example, here is a series of webinars on data sources that should prove useful. You may also like this information on teaching evidence-based public health to public health practitioners. There's also some good stuff on determinants of health.

The Evidence-Based Public Health blog is run by the library director at the University of Texas School of Public Health, and is a great example of how to quickly and simply share important information with others. I'm looking for more examples of this kind of on-line conversation or resources that touch on aspects of community indicators. My hope is to draw together some of the many threads that make up community-based measurement of the quality of life in communities, and to do that we need the help of as many subject experts as possible.

Thank you in advance for passing on your favorite resources!

Reporting Statistics Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:42:00 +0000

I've added a new blog to the blogroll on the right-hand side of this page: Reporting Statistics. It calls itself "Just a blog from a writer with some statistics to share" and "The Blog with the Search Engine for Statistics."

I'd like to encourage you to visit the blog, and not just because it says nice things about this site. It already has information of interest with better writing than this blog, and the author's just getting started.

(I had been toying with allowing advertisements on this blog to offset some of the upkeep costs. Reporting Statistics convinced me to delay that decision. Thank you for that inadvertent lesson at just the right time. I'm going to see if I can go another year ad-free on this site.)

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:32:00 +0000

Last year we participated in Blog Action Day. We will be doing so again this year on October 15. The topic for 2008 is Poverty. Here's more information if you would like to get involved:

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

One Issue, Thousands of Voices
Global issues like poverty are extremely complex. There is no simple, clear answer. By asking thousands of different people to give their viewpoints and opinions, Blog Action Day creates an extraordinary lens through which to view these issues. Each blogger brings their own perspective and ideas. Each blogger posts relating to their own blog topic. And each blogger engages their audience differently.

What is the aim of Blog Action Day?
First and last, the purpose of Blog Action Day is to create a discussion. We ask bloggers to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important issue.

By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue.

Out of this discussion naturally flow actions, advice, ideas, plans, and empowerment. In 2007 on the theme of the Environment, we saw bloggers running environmental experiments, detailing innovative ideas on creating sustainable practices and focusing audience’s attentions on organizations and companies promoting green agendas. In 2008 we aim to again focus the blogging community’s energies and passions, this time on the mammoth issue of global poverty.

Mass Participation
From the smallest online journals, to huge online magazines, to EU ministers, to professionals and amateurs, Blog Action Day is about mass participation. Anyone is free to join in on Blog Action Day and there is no limit on the number of posts, the type of posts or the direction of thoughts and opinions.

Dashboards Dashboards Everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:11:00 +0000

I'm excited to find this collection of business intelligence dashboards and to pass it on to you. We have talked about community indicators and dashboards before, and I had provided a couple of examples, but at Dashboards By Example you can find hundreds more.

Also linked to on the site is Meryl's Notes Blog's Top 175 Data Visualization Resources compiled after the author took a class that discussed Edward Tufte.

There's an enormous amount of information here -- one that will require review and sifting to find the best examples for community indicators work. Before I tackle that, however, I thought I'd pass on the full lists so you could find your own favorites. (Feel free to let me know which ones you like best!)

And here are a few dashboards that use data visualization tools in interesting ways. Lots of information in very little space conveyed in a visually pleasing manner ... that's what we're looking for.

Istanbul Forum Proceedings Available

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:08:00 +0000

Here's a great offer I had to pass along while the costs were still low:

The proceedings from 2nd World Forum, Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies in Istanbul 2007 are ready to be distributed in October. This 550 page book contains 40 of the best papers that were presented at the Forum. Please find below the table of contents.

If you wish to purchase a copy at a reduced price at € 18.24 (including shipping cost), please fill in the order form and send back to me at yoonjung.lee@oecd.org by 7th September. Payment details will follow after orders are received. Please note that after this date, copies will cost €101.14 including shipping.

Thank you very much.

Best regards,

Yoon Jung Lee
Yoonjung.lee@oecd.org
+33 (0)1 45 24 88 25

Statistics, Knowledge and Policy 2007:
Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies

[Table of contents]

Foreword: A. Gurría
Introduction: E. Giovannini

Measuring the Progress of Societies: Does it make a difference for Policy Making and Democracy?

A. Gurría
D. Walker: How Key National Indicators can Improve Policymaking and Strengthen Democracy
R. J. Romanow: Promoting progress: making it happen

Measuring progress and political processes to foster progress

A. Siegel: Beyond measuring – The Council of Europe’s instruments contributing to the progress of societies
J. Frenk& O. Gómez-Dantés: Global public goods for local Decision-making: Empowerment through Evidence
C. Glassman: Evidence-based policy making: Just a myth or a must?
R. A. Virola: Empowering and Challenging Voters through Governance Indicators: The Philippine Experience

Accountability and civic engagement
M. Canoy, F. Lerais, M. Mascherini, A. Saltelli, D. Vidoni : The Importance of Social Reality for Europe’s Economy: An Application to Civil Participation
S. Chandra: Power to people: Indicators for Accountability
C. Michalos: Connecting Communities with Community Indicators

Measuring progress: people’s perceptions and knowledge

J. Almunia: People’s Perceptions vs. Reality – Drawing lessons from the use of statistics in the European Union
R. Curtin: What US consumers know about Economic Conditions
A. Papacostas: European’s Knowledge on Economical Indicators
F. Fullone, M. Gamba, E. Giovannini and M. Malgarini: What do citizens know about Statistics? The Results of the OECD/ISAE survey on Italian Consumers

Subjective measures of well-being

A. van Hoorn: An introduction to Subjective Well-being: Measurement, Correlates and Policy uses
R. Veenhoven: Measures of Gross National Happiness

Challenges for national statistical offices

H. K. van Tuinen: Innovative Statistics to Improve our Notion of Reality
A. Elahi: Challenges of Data Collection – With Special Regard to Developing Countries
D. Trewin: An Effective Global Statistical System – A Prerequisite for Consistency in Global Measurements

Measuring progress: economic, social and environmental issues

Economic issues

R. W. Edwards: Policy and Statistical Issues Underpinning Financial Stability: the IMF Perspective
P. de Lombaerde and P. L. Iapadre : International Integration and Societal Progress : A Critical Review of Globalisation Indicators
L. Cook: Understanding Retirement Saving and Pensions
H. van der Pol: Key Role of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Economy
J. Grice: Measuring and Improving Government Performance

Social issues

G. Banks: Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage in Australia
R. W. Eberts: Trends in Worker Requirements and the Need for Better Information to Make More Informed Decisions in a Global Economy
F. Stanley and S. R. Zubrick: Child Development, Human Development and the Progress of Societies
P. Ester& M. Kerkhofs: Human Capital and the Older Worker – The Need for Solid Indicators
V. Volkan: Societal well-being after experiencing trauma at the hand of “others”: The intertwining of political, economic and other visible factors with hidden psychological processes affecting victimized populations

Environmental issues

J. Loh: The Living Planet Index and Ecological Footprint: Tracking the State of Global Biodiversity and Human Pressures on the Biosphere
O. Al-Jayyuosi: The State of Ecosystems and Progress of Society
D. Trewin: How Reliable are Climate Change Projections – A Statistician’s Perspective

Gender: a key dimension of societal progress

D. Drechsler, J. Jütting and L. T. Katseli: Social Institutions and Gender Equality

Measuring societal progress for local communities

A. Holett, D. May and C. Giles: The Newfoundland and Labrador System of Community Accounts
A. Thornley: Developing Indicators for Local Communities: the New Zealand Experience
S. Brutschy and D. Zachary: Achieving Outcomes from Indicators: Community Assessment Projects in the United States, a Focus on Santa Cruz County

Using indicators to make governments accountable

Ö. Dinçer: Measuring and Improving the Success of Governments
B. Manby: AfriMAP: On not using Indicators to Score Progress in Governance
R. Swinkels& M. Brouwer: National Progress and the Effectiveness of International Aid
A. Kaminara: Case Study: Introducing Standard Indicators in European Commission Funded Projects for Aggregation of Aid Effect

Happiness Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Measuring happiness is all over the news, and I wanted to share some updates with you. Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson wrote a paper, Happiness Inequality in the United States (PDF), which says the following:

While there has been no increase in aggregate happiness, inequality in happiness has fallen substantially since the 1970s. There have been large changes in the level of happiness across groups: Two-thirds of the black-white happiness gap has been eroded, and the gender happiness gap has disappeared entirely. Paralleling changes in the income distribution, differences in happiness by education have widened substantially.

Justin Wolfers wrote a three=part series on the Freakonomics blog about the paper which you might find interesting. The research started showing up in unusual places to make political points -- see especially Ezra Klein's take on the data and his musings about the effects of Prozac on the results.

There's also a new volume out for the Journal of Happiness Studies. The articles seem quite interesting -- what do self-help books, Epicurus, Schopenhauer, and ancient Chinese philosophers really know about happiness? There's even an article called "lost in data space" (PDF) that reviews Joe Sirgy's book, The Psychology of Quality of Life. I'm looking forward for copy of the Journal to come in the mail.

Trying Out Widgenie

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:32:00 +0000

I decided to try out Widgenie, a new data visualization tool that allows you to create and share charts and graphs. Here's my first attempt:

Let me tell you my opinion of the site so far (realizing it's still in beta test):

First, I like the animation. I like the mouseover that lets you get the individual data points. I like that you can share the graph with others. It's stronger/sharper than just cutting-and-pasting Excel-generated images into your blog/presentation/Facebook account/iGoogle/website/etc. I also like how it tracks who's using your widget and who's viewing it. That could generate interesting data on its own.

Problems: The data conversion is a little rough. The 2002-03 date fields turned into March 1, 2003, at 5:00 AM dates. The percentages (not shown) were converted into decimals. I didn't have any way to edit/fix those. Be careful in how you format your information before uploading it. That's not a deal-breaker, but it would be nice to be able to at least tell the widgenie that you're working with percentages and to display that properly.

The bigger issue, I think, is the metadata. I didn't see how to source the information I was uploading or displaying. I think that ought to be fixed, and I hope the developers will not just permit but insist that data be sourced. Otherwise, why bother creating portable, sharable graphs? I think the information could be put in the "description" slot, but that didn't strike me as intuitively the place for data source information.

I'm going to play around with the site a bit more, and encourage you to do the same and report back on what you like/don't like about the site.

Happy charting!

Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network (CSIN)

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:04:00 +0000

An alert reader pointed out that I had failed to list the Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network (CSIN) as a resource for indicators-minded people (since corrected.) I think many of you may be interested in the work they're doing and the learning events, listserve, and resources they offer, even if you're not living in Canada.

Here's what they offer in terms of learning events:

CSIN, with support from the Knowledge Integration Strategies office at Environment Canada and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), is enabling indicator practitioners from across Canada to make connections.

Using Web-conferencing technology, practitioners gather around the virtual meeting table to learn about each other's initiatives and to get feedback on their own work. Learning Events are designed and presented by CSIN members themselves and are open to all members.

Participants to date have come from city and provincial planning and/or environment/resource departments; multi-stakeholder watershed-based coalitions; academic institutions; national and community NGOs; federal indicator programs; and sustainability think tanks.

In an effort to record and make accessible the information that is shared during learning events, presentations, summaries and reports developed for or from the learning events are provided where possible. Please contact the CSIN Coordinator if you require any further information.

They also offer a listserve and other resources of value to the indicators practitioner.

Check it out! And keep sending me information I can share with readers of this blog.

Five Types of Data Visualization People

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Flowing Data presents an interesting set of categories of people who are interested in data visualization. The list includes these five types:

The Technician, focused on implementation (how the hardware/software support the visualization);
The Analyzer, focused on the data (what are the numbers and what do they say?);
The Artist, focused on the visuals (is it pretty?);
The Outsider, focused on context (what's the other information we need to understand the data?); and
The Light Bulb, focused on the picture -- the one with the Big Idea that everyone else has to sweat to implement.

Tasty Data Goodies, the blog from Swivel, talks about the five categories, and includes a graph purporting to show the relative size of the five types. Except the graph is based on a sample size of 10. And people could choose more than one category. I'm not reproducing the graph (you can see it here if you really want to), but why did they? I thought they knew data better than that. Just because you have some numbers doesn't mean you have information.

Back to the five categories. Do you see yourself in them? Your project partners (staff or volunteers)? Are these categorizations complete? Are they useful?

(As a side note, the Flowing Data blog is pretty neat -- I'm adding it to the blogroll on this page. If you have other suggestions for blogs that we should be linking to, please drop me a line.)

Information Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:22:00 +0000

Here's a couple of updates from stuff we've talked about earlier:

1. PolicyMap (www.policymap.com) has just added new data sets:

- Presidential Campaign Contributions as of June 20, 2008
- 4th Quarter 2007 Home Sale Statistics
- Fair Market Rents (FMR) for 2008 by bedroom size: efficiencies, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, 3 bedroom, and 4 bedroom units
- Area Median Incomes (AMI) for 2008 by family size (1 through 8 person families). Data includes 30%, 50% and 80% of AMI calculations

2. The Housing+Transportation Affordability Index web training session is tomorrow. Here's what you need to know to join in:

The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index: A New Way of Defining Affordability

Thursday, July 31 at 2:00 p.m. ET

The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, developed by CNT and collaborative partner, the Center for Transit Oriented Development (CTOD), is an innovative tool that measures the true affordability of housing by including the cost of transportation associated with location. Planners, lenders, and most consumers traditionally measure housing affordability as 30 percent or less of income. The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, in contrast, takes into account not just the cost of housing, but also the intrinsic value of place, as quantified through transportation expenses.

The latest release of the H + T Index, a project of the Brookings Institution's Urban Markets Initiative, includes an interactive mapping site which provides housing and transportation costs at the neighborhood level for 52 metropolitan areas. Additionally, other key characteristics of neighborhoods are presented, including average VMT (vehicle miles traveled), auto ownership rates, employment density, and transit ridership. Recognizing the relationship between urban form, housing site selection, and transportation costs and integrating this way of thinking into the choices and decisions made by home buyers, renters, urban and transportation planners and developers are key factors in creating and establishing true affodability in housing choices.
KnowledgePlex Expert Chats are free to attend and use Microsoft's Live Meeting Software, a small and free program you must install beforehand.

For more information or to join this Expert Chat, click here.

Try the Housing + Transportation Affordability Index website at http://htaindex.cnt.org.

Rochester Launches Community Indicators Project

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:19:00 +0000

From the Rochester Area Community Foundation comes this report of a new initiative I thought readers might be interested in:

Community Matters - Joined Forces

The Community Foundation and United Way prepare to launch a community indicators program for greater Rochester.

A new method of problem solving and decision making that allows for valuable input from the entire community will soon be inplace in greater Rochester. A community indicators program developed jointly by Rochester Area Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Rochester is currently in the planning phase. The initiative is expected to officially launch in the fall.

Community indicators are systematic measures of the overall health and well-being of a community, presented in a way that focuses community attention on critical needs and moves the discussion of solutions from general opinions to fact-based actions. The ultimate goal is a more efficient and effective response to our community’s problems.

As a first step, existing data is being examined in twelve critical categories: financial well-being; children and youth; education; the economy; community engagement; community safety; health; environment; arts and culture; housing; transportation; and technology. The target region includes Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.
Recently, the community indicators program has been given the name ACT Rochester, which stands for Achieving Community Targets. The new name conveys the sense that data and information must be collected and turned into community action.

More than 100 community organizations and agencies are now engaged in a series of community consultations designed to provide input on the selection of measures as well as the overall program. Eventually, active community forums and debates will be encouraged to address the implications of the data. A website will also be developed to highlight the data and offer additional opportunities for community participation.

The Center for Governmental Research has been hired to advise on data elements, and Logical Solutions has been retained to design and launch the project’s new website.

Planning for this ambitious program has been guided by a joint Community Foundation-United Way task force under the leadership of Margaret Sánchez, immediate past chair of the Community Foundation’s board of directors. Ed Doherty, vice president of community programs for the Community Foundation, and Dawn Borgeest, senior vice president and chief corporate affairs officer for United Way, are charged with moving the project forward during its development over the next several months.

Both the Community Foundation and United Way have pledged equal, long-term support to ACT Rochester. Leaders of the two organizations hope their partnership will provide not only a vehicle for enhanced service to the community, but also an example for other community collaborations.

Call for Papers: Neighborhood Renewal

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:53:00 +0000

Invitation received via NAPC (National Association of Planning Councils) -- I think if you ask nicely they'll let you subscribe. I thought both the conference and the call for papers might be of interest to some of the readers here:

Neighbourhood – The International Journal of Neighbourhood Renewal
http://www.ijnr.co.uk/
Annual International Neighbourhood Renewal Conference / Annual International Neighbourhood Renewal Awards London Nov 2009 – Free Delegate / Display Space Offer

I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the development of the International Journal of Neighbourhood Renewal which will promote good practice in this field of public policy. The first edition of the Journal will be published on the 1st September 2008 and the first year of Journals will contain a range of informative articles from around the world. If you would like to subscribe now to the Journal, then please visit the website. Alternatively Stuart from my office will be in touch with you shortly to discuss this matter in more detail, In summary subscription fees are as follows per annum:

(a) £149 per annum for a quarterly hard copy, free electronic access for all in the team and 50% off other conferences organised by Holden Publishing. This rate also qualifies you for a free display space / free delegate pass at the Inaugural Annual Conference of the International Journal of Neighbourhood Renewal / Annual International Neighbourhood Renewal Awards at the Central Hall Westminster on the 19th and 20th November 2009 if you subscribe before 4th August 2008.
(b) £49 per annum for electronic access and 10% off other conferences organised by Holden Publishing.

If you would like to submit a paper for future inclusion in the Journal then please follow the link http://www.ijnr.co.uk/call_for_papers.html and submit a paper at any time. I look forward to welcoming you as a subscriber to ‘Neighbourhood’ or as one of our contributors.

With kindest regards,

Ray.

Ray Holden
Director of Development
Holden Publishing
UK Office
Horton House
Exchange Flags
Floor Five
Liverpool
L2 3PF
UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: +44 (0)845 6025280
Fax: +44 (0)151 2445401

Un-Missable Data Displays Part Two: Noise Pollution

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:00:00 +0000

First it was air quality indicators on balloons. Now it's noise pollution on billboards. Data you can't avoid seeing.

The Noise Awareness Blog is highlighting an advertisement campaign in Europe (for a quiet washing machine, I think). The campaign has put up giant billboards that measure the decibel levels in the street and display current decibels in an LED display. Like this:

From the blog:

Also in London AEG-Electrolux has erected a giant poster to monitor the noise level ‘live, as it happens’ on a busy road: Old Street Foundry in Shoreditch.The poster is sited above a local night club and on a main route to local schools and local people have already started to take an interest - instead of just walking past the poster they are stopping and looking for a while before walking on. Local school kids are taking it a step further and are deliberately shouting at the sign in unison in order to make the numbers change. The Manager of the night club is finding the poster helpful too – he taking photos of the sign in the early hours of the morning to show the local council that he is not making too much noise!

(Hat tip: information aesthetics)

Health Indicator Trendlines

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:11:00 +0000

From XKCD via the Bacon Salt Blog:

OK, so I like the idea of telling a story with a graph. And I like bacon. And I thought this was funny. And I am trying to justify putting this picture on a community indicators blog. Any help here?

(You might also enjoy the last panel of this webcomic. Jokes about people making graphs aren't as funny as jokes using graphs, however.)

Audio Conference: Performance Reporting

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:00:00 +0000

From the July 23, 2008 • AGA Education News:

Everything You Wanted To Know About Performance Reporting, But Were Afraid To Ask!

Aug. 20 Audio Conference

AGA, in conjunction with the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) and the Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA) is pleased to announce a new and increasingly important topic to our audio conference schedule—Everything You Wanted to Know About Performance Reporting, But Were Afraid to Ask!

Is your government thinking about producing a performance report for internal and external use? Do your constituents want to know more about the government’s activities and accomplishments? Does your legislative body need information that can help make the tough budget decisions? Does internal management need performance measures to gauge the success or failure of its programs? With transparency and accountability as the watchwords for effective, efficient and honest government, performance reporting should be on the political agenda of any official who wishes to convey how and on what government is spending tax dollars.

To share their practical experiences in performance reporting, three performance report preparers will explain the positive results achieved with their use of a performance report. Join Drummond Kahn, CGFM, CIA, Director, Audit Services, Portland, Oregon; Rebekah Stephens, Planning and Performance Coordinator, Metro Nashville, TN; and Mike Taylor, CPA, CIA, City Auditor, Stockton, CA, as each of them discuss how their governments are using the performance reports. First-time AGA Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts and Accomplishments award recipients, Ms. Stephens and Mr. Taylor, will also explain why their municipalities needed a performance report to drive changes within government. Mr. Kahn will share how the Portland, Oregon performance report has matured over the past 17 years and how it is being used to improve government services today.

Please join us for two hours of lively discussion about this important and timely topic. In addition to the speakers’ commentary, there will be approximately 20 minutes for Q & A so that the participants can ask the speakers questions and share their own experiences.

Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Time: 2– 3:50 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Learning Objectives: To obtain an understanding of how performance management and reporting can improve transparency and accountability

Prerequisite: Familiarity with performance management and reporting

Advance Prep: None required

CPE: Two credits

Field of Study: Accounting (Governmental)

Cost: $249 per site (UNLIMITED ATTENDANCE) if you register on or before Friday, August 15, 2008 and $299 thereafter.

SPECIAL PROMOTION: Government agencies and CPAG members who register five or more office will receive a 20 percent discount ($200 per site)

To Register: Register online, print the registration form or print the special promotion registration form.

This audio conference offers important information to almost everyone in the accountability profession. Please share this program announcement with others in your government, chapters, educational institutions and private firms. Remember, there is no limit to attendance per phone site. If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Maria Lucas at 1-800-242-7211 ext. 308 or . Questions regarding the program should be directed to Raymond Harris at ext. 339 or Evie Barry at ext. 324.

Don't We Drive More Than We Walk?

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:01:00 +0000

When I posted the follow-up article on Walk Score, an alert reader pointed me to Drive Score. This site allows you to enter an address and get a score based on the number of businesses within drivable range. (Since I just proved that South Dakota is within "drivable range" of Florida, the How It Works page helped me understand what is being measured.

Your Drive Score is a number between 0 and 100. The score of an address depends on how far you are comfortable driving―after all, everything is within driving distance if you have the time. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:

Excellent (90 - 100): All errands can be accomplished by car within 5-7 minutes
Very Good (70 - 90): It's possible to get everywhere you need within 10-15 min by car.
Good (50 - 70): Some stores and amenities are within 20-25 minutes driving distance.
Satisfactory (25 - 50): Only a few destinations are within easy driving range.
Disappointing (0 - 25): Virtually no neighborhood destinations within convenient driving range.

OK, that made sense to me. I also liked the How It Doesn't Work page, which showed some of the limitations of the data.

It was interesting to see what was available within driving distance of both my office and my home, with icons identifying different types of establishments -- some of them even in walking distance!

Overall, it's a nice addition to the tools available for assessing neighborhoods. Thanks for the link!

Quantifying Racism in Cities

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:00:00 +0000

The Freakonomics blog has a provocative article asking What is the most racist city in America? The author of the article, Sudhir Venkatesh, asks for input on "quantifying racism" and suggests a "racism index" might allow someone to identify which city was the most racist. (He suggests it might be Boston, as his example.)

The article is generating a number of comments, primarily anecdotal -- "I lived in this city and it was awful" -- with a few suggestions for indicators such as hate crimes or interracial marriages as potential measures of racism.

We've been talking about indicators of racial disparity over the past year or so on this blog. I'm interested in your comments on specific measures of racism in the community. How would you/do you measure racism? What would you reply to the Freakonomics folks?

We're promised a follow-up article on social science research on measuring racism, and I'll pass that along when it appears. If you have a specific project or examples of indicators that you're working on or that you think is worth sharing, please pass it on.

Two Reports Released by NNIP

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:34:00 +0000

Here's a head's-up from Tom Kingsley on the NNIP Listserve:

Two reports have recently been released describing innovative local uses of parcel level data in community development. Most of the examples were done by partners in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP). The first is the final report on the five-city project NNIP did for the Brookings Urban Markets Initiative several years ago. The second came out of a project done jointly by PolicyLink and the Urban Institute for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (the final work under that project is a guide on using parcel level data being prepared by Kathy Pettit – expected to be released in September).

Data and Decisions: Parcel Level Information Changing the Way Business Gets Done, by G. Thomas Kingsley and Kathryn L.S. Pettit. (Brookings Institution, July 2008).

http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/0708_data_development_kingsley_pettit.aspx

The accelerated development of electronic land information systems in our cities creates opportunities for important improvements in land management and community development. However, “decision support tools” are needed to assure that the new data will be brought to bear on real decision making effectively. These tools transform raw data into accessible information displays designed to inform specific actions by private, nonprofit and government actors, and may range from simple web tables to more complex analytic processes. This paper reviews early experiences in developing such tools in five cities in 2004/05 (Baltimore, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Providence, and Washington DC) and concludes that their future holds promise. The choice of tools will depend on local market conditions, but in all areas, they can help in: (1) assessing trends and need for intervention; (2) deciding on the appropriate interventions for individual properties; and (3) monitoring and coordinating programs. Ideas are offered as to how local leaders can create an environment conducive to these potentials and avoid risks that could hinder them.

Transforming Community Development with Land Information Systems, by Sarah Treuhaft and G. Thomas Kingsley. (Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 2008).

http://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/PubDetail.aspx?pubid=1356

Land information systems and internet-based databases have the power to transform community development, making it possible to harness technology to revitalize urban areas and create affordable housing where it is most needed, according to a new report by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. "There is vast potential in the use of technology in community development," said Rosalind Greenstein, senior fellow and chair of the Department of Economic and Community Development at the Lincoln Institute. "Using geographic information systems and Web services truly facilitates the work of planning, developing, and nurturing vibrant neighborhoods that meet the needs of today's residents." The report includes a synopsis of the evolution of parcel data systems and recent advanced applications, as well as five case studies from Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., that illustrate the use of new technology in facilitating revitalization, improving vacant lots, building on affordable housing initiatives, heading off foreclosures, or integrating neighborhood efforts into a larger regional framework.

Tom Kingsley
The Urban Institute
2100 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-261-5585
tkingsle@ui.urban.org

Walk Score Ranks Cities

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:45:00 +0000

We've talked about Walk Score before and its use of walkability indicators for communities. Now they've come out with new rankings for America's Most Walkable Neighborhoods -- and they illustrate their article with a picture of my hometown. So I have to talk about it again, right?

If you're interested, here's Jacksonville, Florida's Walk Score. And here's how the walk score calculations work.

Look up your own city. Pretty neat, right? Here's a use of data to tell a story in ways that make you think differently about your city. (Now if they just had some bicycle indicators to add to the picture, my joy would be complete.)

For more, see also this column by The Numbers Guy in the Wall Street Journal.

Best Whatever Cities by Money Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Warner) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:30:00 +0000

You've seen the lists -- Top 25 Hottest Cities. Top 25 Cities for Singles. Top 25 Coolest Cities. Top 25 Cities to Live. Top 25 Friendliest Cities. Each of them develops some set of indicators as criteria, adds a trendy label, and then ranks a bunch of cities according to the desired index. It's gotten to the point where some magazines look like they have to have a Top 25 Cities list in every issue in order to meet their publication deadlines.

I was amused to see at CNNMoney.com a new kind of resource. It's their Best Places to Live city comparison tool. Add your city (or comparison cities) to a list they have generated, and compare the indicators you want to -- in areas such as financial, education, housing, quality of life, leisure & culture, weather, health, and "meet the neighbors" (which contains some demographic data like age and educational attainment and also stuff like the average amount spent on vacations.)

With this tool, you can mix and match your own indicators to create your own "Best Cities" criteria. You can create a "Best Highbrow Cities" list by combining education attainment, educational opportunities, libraries, and museums. Or Most Fit. Or Most Affordable. Or Safest. Or any of these other listings (which already exist out there in some format, I'm sure, but which you can create on your own.)

It's an interesting tool. Can you create a constellation of indicators that tells an interesting story? Would you like to share your own "Best Cities" ranking criteria?