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National Infrastructure for Community Statistics (NICS) Community of Practice

National Infrastructure for Community Statistics (NICS) Community of Practice. Moving fro m Learning to Action April 12, 2005. Agenda. Findings from each workgroup Open plenary discussion Proposed organization and business plan structure Open plenary discussion Working Lunch

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National Infrastructure for Community Statistics (NICS) Community of Practice

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  1. National Infrastructure for Community Statistics (NICS) Community of Practice Moving fro m Learning to Action April 12, 2005

  2. Agenda • Findings from each workgroup • Open plenary discussion • Proposed organization and business plan structure • Open plenary discussion • Working Lunch • Participating in NICS as we move from “learning” to “action” • Three breakout groups • Report Back and Next Steps

  3. Participant Needs and RequirementsFindings

  4. Participant Needs & RequirementsFindings • Who are the potential users of NICS? • Data intermediaries – the focus • Could serve end users directly from some applications • States as “super data intermediaries” • We understand that we don’t know a lot about a broader group of potential users, such as: • State, local GIS managers • Municipal and state CIOs • Local agency data managers • Etc

  5. Participant Needs & RequirementsFindings • What do they need from NICS? - Data • Data for small areas + metadata • Recognize much data exists, not now accessible to users for small areas • Recognize importance of data standards, good metadata, tools to facilitate access • Data topics, highest priority for state/local • Economic development, community development/real estate, program eligibility determinations, health, public safety, environment, infrastructure • Denominators for small area indicators

  6. Participant Needs & RequirementsFindings • What they need from NICS? - Tools • Small area estimation models/tools • Tools and methods to address confidentiality • E.g., synthetic estimates for small areas • Mapping tools to bridge different geographies and permit comparisons over time • E.g., police precincts, planning districts vs. census tracts • Data entry/publishing tools to allow input of data into system with quality controls

  7. Participant Needs & RequirementsFindings • What they need from NICS? - Services • Standards and resources for local data collection • Develop and maintain metadata • Develop economies of scale, reduce duplication of effort • Feds need market research • More on user needs, locally available data

  8. Participant Needs & RequirementsFindings • What can they provide to NICS? – State/Local • Data from local systems • More multi-source systems have been developed although need to develop intermediaries many more places • Recognize need for better standards, metadata • Will need stronger incentives to provide data to NICS • Networks to support NICS dissemination • What can they provide to NICS? – Federal • Data from national files • Existing state/local/partnerships • E.g., Census Information Centers • Guidance on standards • E.g., meeting requirements for GASB 24, OMB’s Data Reference Model

  9. Participant Needs & RequirementsFindings • How should NICS proceed? • Emphasize need to prioritize the work • Activities that demonstrate viability of overall concept • But also pick “low hanging fruit” with high policy payoffs that yield clear results in short term • Even in short term, begin to address key issues • E.g., provision of metadata, privacy/confidentiality, incentives and tools to facilitate data sharing • Begin to bring new networks into the NICS framework • E.g., state governors offices and CIOs

  10. Systems ArchitectureFindings

  11. Systems ArchitectureFindings • Motivating examples • Common problems • Promising developments • Sobering realities • Necessary ingredients

  12. Motivating examples Local data intermediaries want to simplify computing and mapping. E.g., • Neighborhood crime/health-risk rates: number of incidents / population at risk • Program eligibility: does a household meet income cutoff given size, local rent levels, etc. • Neighborhood (dis)investment: what parcels are ripe for reinvestment, what federal $ are going into a neighborhood • Employment and resident patterns: where do local residents work (by skill level); what jobs are accessible; how has this changed over time

  13. Common problems Explosion of fine-grained, spatially detailed data is great, but: • Hard to get/keep/maintain local copy of all the needed/useful data • Too hard to get/understand/use metadata • Cross-domain geographies are different so small-area data are hard to overlay well • Hard to add local knowledge to reinterpret government datasets • Privacy and confidentiality rules limit access to small-area data

  14. Promising developments • Metadata • Improved metadata standards, tools, best-practices • Progress with semantic web, ontologies, RDF, etc. • Service-oriented architecture • Shared data services instead of exchanged data sets • Loosely coupled, distributed components (not tight coupling with ‘broadcast’ model) • Growth of web services with XML messaging and interoperable geospatial services • Analytic assistance and user interfaces • Codifying ‘business rules,’ data mining, and analytic processes • Synthetic data, custom ‘rollups,’ and trusted intermediaries • Improved user interfaces for statistical analysis

  15. Sobering realities • Hard to switch focus from data sets to data services • New paradigm, immature technologies • ‘Half-empty glass’ problem • Community statistics involves analysis • Appropriate re-use of data is hard (not just data access) • NICS audience wants time series (as well as cross-sectional studies) • Data integration for small-area geographies is hard • Serious privacy/confidentiality limits • Stored data <> delivered data – lots of on-the-fly processing • Separate GIS and statistics communities

  16. Necessary ingredients • Practical project elements: • short-term utility to NICS audience • education and best-practice components • cross-domain and community-of-practice elements • evolving set of ‘NICS-ready services’ and protocols • marketplace ‘competition’ regarding methods and tools • Parallel work at several levels • Improved data exchange and metadata tagging • Experiments with data services and ‘dialogue’ that are quite different from traditional data pipelines • Suitable service design, coordination, and evolution is a significant project – harder yet in NICS setting that must leverage many other data integration and standardization efforts

  17. Governance and FinanceFindings

  18. Governance and FinanceFindings • Complex enterprise, will change significantly over time, needs a flexible structure • NICS can play important “exchange” functions: • Information (clearinghouse) • Datasets and standards • Best practices

  19. Governance and StructureFindings • NICS structure must be responsive to a new democratic data model • Old View: Data from source to user is a “one way” street, “stovepipe” applications • New Reality: Decentralized systems for users and producers of community statistics and tools • The same institution might be both a user and producer, thus, “participants” • Participants configure services to their needs; must be able to mix and match datasets and tools

  20. Governance and FinanceFindings • Institutional issues • Should be independent of government; able to develop flexible funding and administrative arrangements for many types of participants • Needs to evolve as NICS matures • Lean staff model • Multiple ways to participate • Must incorporate method by which to keep interchange between CoP continuous

  21. Governance and FinanceFindings • NICS is a complex, adaptive structure • Adaptive Architecture • Self-organization: independent organizations and projects, but complex relationships sense and respond with a common mission • Evolving: Seed, select and amplify innovations that improve the marketplace • Use cases, directories, new tools • Flexible Management • Tight control over core operations • Loose control at edges…new services and applications

  22. Governance and FinanceFindings • We are managing a marketplace • Tight control over platform creating the NICS marketplace • NICS Core Operations • Seed market-enabling services and products • Develop and implement standards • Loose control over new “services” and applications at the edge • Challenge: how to keep core from being oblivious to needs of edge users?

  23. Governance and FindingsFindings • Potential sources of revenues • Flexible based upon agency or funder level of interest • Could use fee-based, subscription approach for some types of products and services • Consider licensing tools and software if developed with NICS financial support

  24. Open Discussion

  25. Business Plan Outline and Organization NICS: Moving from Learning to Action

  26. State Agencies • NGA • State CIOs (NASCIO) • State DHS, Health, Jobs • State Budget Offices (NASBO) • State Data Centers (Census) • State Archives • Community Data Users • Municipalities • Metro Planning Orgs. • Community-based Orgs. • Data Intermediaries • -- CSS Network • -- NNIP • -- Census Info Ctrs. • Indicators groups--poverty, sustainability, asset-building • Federal Agencies • Federal Statistical Agencies (Census, BLS, BEA, NCHS, etc.) • Federal Program Agencies (e.g., EDA, ETA, FHwA) • Federal Management Orgs. (OMB, GAO, CIO Council) National Infrastructure for Community Statistics (NICS) • Nonprofit • DataPlace (Fannie Mae Foundation • KNII (National Academy of Sciences) • Foundation/ Investor Users • Outcomes data • Comparative data • Performance measurement • Success Measures • SIA Models • Commercial • Data Providers • Value-added Data Intermediaries • Market Research • Analysts NICS Community of Practice

  27. State Agencies State Data Users Federal Agencies Community Data Users • Data • Comparisons • Analysis • Live links to data sources • Metadata standards • Web-service tools National Infrastructure for Community Statistics (NICS) Commercial Private Sector Users Foundation/ Investor Users • NICS Community of Practice • Collaboratively plan and invest

  28. The What • Community information that: • can be easily combined, compared and analyzed • across domains and jurisdictions • for better decisionmaking

  29. The Who • We have a partial understanding… “data intermediaries” • Need to be more clear…GIS managers at city and county level, CIOs of cities and counties, program officers of foundations, community groups • Broader Market Assessment will provide more clarity • Understand needs of a broader group of users • Assess key data and information gaps for decisionmaking

  30. The How • Web-based “marketplace” providing access to community-level data and tools with which to integrate, view and analyze these data • Marketplace: a forum to exchange data, services and products. A place to match demand for and supply of: • Data: new datasets with community information • Tools: tools to better access, manage, combine, clean, compare and analysis community statistics

  31. How might the “marketplace” work? Some scenarios

  32. NICS Participants App XY App XYZ Old App New App NICS Core Operations Standards Product Directory Tool Dataset Dataset Dataset Dataset Dataset Dataset

  33. What do we want to trade? Everything! • Access to NICS-ready datasets • Data access services such as FedStats, DataPlace, NNIP partners and more • Directories of administrative records available for public use • Data transformation tools • Cross-referencing tools • Façade tools • Standardization tools • Geographic roll-up tools • Synthetic data tools to ease analysis of senstive or confidential datasets

  34. …and more! • User interface tools • Display software to ease comparisons • Usability tools • Visualization tools • Aesthetics tools • Analytic Tools • Tools to determine eligibility for federal funds • Small area estimation tools • Authomated computation tools to calculate margins of error • Microdata analytic tools • Indicator development tools, such as profile templates that generate standard indicators • Comparability analysis tools • Statistical literacty tools

  35. And more! • Resources for building and Operating Distributed Systems • Management • Operation • Service-chaining • Resources for Managing Organizational and Legal Issues • Data-sharing or exchange MOUs • Data access protocols • Intellectual property management • Privacy and confidentiality

  36. And finally… • Metadata Services • Model components of metadata • Hints for metadata development • Library of metadata standards • Metadata applications • Automated tools for attaching metadata

  37. Three Phase Process Conceptualize: 3-11 months Initiation: 11-26 months Implementation: 26-48 months

  38. Initiation Phase: Focus • We know the most important needs to be solved • Metadata • Access to new datasets with community level information • We have limited resources time and energy and shouldn’t attempt to boil the ocean

  39. Initiation Phase: Key Tasks • Complete Business Plan • Demonstrate NICS feasibility through “use cases” • NICS projects • NICS affiliates • Complete market surveys that assess: • Broad range of information users • Decisionmakers who use information • Continue to educate/update/involve/expand CoP • Raise implementation phase funds and secure institutional sponsorships as required to move into implementation • Develop initial web presence developed and prototype “gateway”

  40. Initiation Phase:NICS Organization NICS Community of Practice Executive Committee NICS Operations Group NICS Projects Group

  41. Initiation Phase: Organizational Structure • Community of Practice • Continues to meet quarterly • Provides input and direction regularly • Executive Committee • Coordinates the “moving parts”

  42. Initiation PhaseOperations Committee • Major Responsibilities: • Completes business plan • Designs, deploys market surveys • Secure institutional sponsorship for longterm hosting infrastructure and web streaming capability • Targets possible funding sources and develops strategy • Develops initial NICS website and platform • Links NICS to other efforts, such as KNII, Dataplace, etc • Membership • If you have special skills to contribute and want to be involved in this group, note this on the evaluation sheet in workgroup discussion and hand to UMI staff • Executive committee will make decisions on exact composition to assure balance and neutrality

  43. Initiation PhaseNICS “Use Case” Committee • Oversees two types of NICS “use cases” • NICS Projects • Can demonstrate key aspects of NICS feasibility within 12 months • NICS may provide resources, contribute staff time and effort to bring to completion • NICS “Affiliates” • Are moving along on a path parallel to NICS • Should be kept closely linked to NICS so that they are included appropriately in the implementation phase • Membership • If you have special skills to contribute and want to be involved in this group, note this on the evaluation sheet in workgroup discussion and hand to UMI staff • Executive committee will make decisions on exact composition to assure balance and neutrality

  44. Initiation PhaseNICS Community of Practice • Continues to meet once each quarter and provide electronic links and communications to group • Next meeting June 30 on NICS research issues • Meetings will serve two purposes: • education sessions on cross-cutting issues of importance to our community (ie: privacy, confidentiality, IP) • updates on operations, projects, affiliates and other groups as well • A group of you will be asked to help set the agenda for the next 4 meetings of this group this afternoon • Develop a process by which we can solicit and decide upon new topics and agenda suggestions

  45. How do I participate in the Initiation Phase? • Attend CoP meetings • Be an agency/organization liaison • For agencies and organizations with projects that have projects going on with relevance to NICS • Update the CoP on your progress through Wiki or NICS CoP meetings • Be on a committee • Participate on the Operations or on the “Use Case” committee • Looking for participants with expertise in key issues • Manage/participate a NICS affiliate • Describe the project, and how it relates to NICS • Update the Executive Committee on your progress, through the Wiki • We will want to feature your project occasionally in CoP meetings • Manage/participate in a NICS project

  46. Initiation Phase: Success • Business Plan completed • NICS feasibility demonstrated and advanced through “use cases” • NICS projects • NICS affiliates • Market surveys completed that assess: • Broad range of information users • Gaps in information products, services, tools • Prioritize information products and services you need • Decisionmakers who use information • Gaps in information products, services, tools • When don’t you have the information you need? • CoP continues to grow, broaden and thrive • Funds raised and institutional sponsorships secured as required to move into implementation • Initial web presence developed and prototype “gateway”

  47. Implementation Phase Organizational Structure and Program Priorities

  48. Implementation Phase • Evolve to more formalized organization • Spin off independent enterprise • Fully develop hosting infrastructure and platform • Launch multiple projects to seed infrastructure, tools, products and services

  49. Implementation PhaseNICS Initial Structure • Core Operating Committee • Provides longterm oversight and direction • In Phase 1, Brookings will operate as the trustee for operations, funding staff, some building blocks and services • In Phase 2, NICS will spin off as a separate 501(c)3; the Core Operating Committee would serve as its Board of Directors • Three Operating Groups are where the work gets done • Marketplace Group • Tools and Resources Group • Sustainability Group

  50. Implementation PhaseOverall NICS Organization NICS Community of Practice NICS Staff Core Operating Committee Marketplace Group Tools and Resources Group Sustainability Group

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