News and Impact
Data Points Podcast
Latest News, Press Releases, and Impact Stories
New Food System Resilience Planning Guide Helps Cities Prepare for Disruptions
The guide offers food system resilience strategies and tools that can be customized by local governments and policymakers.
In wave after deadly wave, COVID has claimed 1 million lives in the U.S.
Even though passing 1 million deaths has been widely expected for some time, the reality is still devastating.
‘We must not grow numb to such sorrow’: COVID death toll in US reaches 1 million
When the U.S. surpassed 1 million COVID deaths Tuesday, the somber milestone provided yet another reminder of the enormous human toll extracted by a pandemic the nation is eager to leave behind.
Opportunity Accelerator Launched to Help Governments Drive Economic Mobility and Advance Racial Equity
Program will help governments work with place-based partnerships and residents to remove barriers to upward mobility and improve life outcomes
Covid-19 data reporting is becoming less frequent, making trends harder to track
Many states are scaling back on how often they report key Covid-19 statistics, a shift that some experts worry might hinder efforts to mitigate outbreaks and negative effects of the coronavirus.
Lessons from the COVID data wizards
Data dashboards have been an important part of pandemic response and planning. What have their developers learnt about communicating science in a crisis?
New Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance Launches in the U.S., Latin America, and Canada with $60 Million Investment
Program will help 100 international cities set a new standard of excellence for using data to make policy decisions, evaluate the impact of public services, and improve residents’ lives
The pandemic’s official global toll surpasses 6 million known virus deaths.
Though many global coronavirus trends are rapidly improving as countries emerge from surges driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the grimmest metric hit a tragic milestone on Monday.
Four ways to make data work better for residents
Every single government in the world, from small cities and counties to federal giants, is somewhere on a data journey. The farther they go, the more they’re set up to deliver effective, equitable public services.
The US still isn’t getting Covid-19 data right
As the Omicron wave recedes in the United States, public health officials are faced with a new round of decision-making on the best way for the country to move forward.
U.S. Covid-19 Infections Top One Million After Holiday Backlog
More than one million new Covid-19 infections were reported in the U.S., a sign of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant that public-health experts said is only partially captured by official data.
Laredo, TX Case Study
The Center for Government Excellence (GovEx) worked with Laredo to establish a data governance structure, increase internal access to data, create data standards for collection and definitions of data, and address staff concerns about data quality, all with a focus on elevating the City’s data practice long term and building staff capacity to take on this work.
Grand Rapids, MI Case Study
Grand Rapids entered into GovEx/WWC engagement to advance its ability to deliver results for its residents by establishing data management practices, in order to bring data and evidence into the decision-making process to increase equity and the quality of life in the City, enabling progress towards the City’s goals and connecting with the community in the process.
Covid-19 Data Is a Mess. We Need a Way to Make Sense of It.
Our Johns Hopkins University Centers for Civic Impact Executive Director Beth Blauer along with Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, wrote an op-ed in The New York Times on November 23, 2020.
Algorithm Toolkit Released to Reduce Bias Affecting Residents from Automated Decisions Made By Local Governments
As cities throughout the country work to address issues of inequity as a result of algorithms and the negative impact it has on residents, the toolkit helps local leaders to proactive ask specific questions to quantify risks and also provides recommendations on ways to handle those risks.
GovEx Releases New Smart Cities Guide As Part of Research Collaborative
Smart cities projects have proliferated in recent years, and this guide captures some of the best examples around the country along with resources and guidance to help cities understand the foundations of data practices that are necessary for any successful smart cities initiative.
On the Right Path: Improving Bike Safety & Infrastructure in Florence
In partnership with GovEx, Florence has become a model for other cities to improve cycling safety through data analysis, cross-departmental collaboration, and community involvement.
Richmond, VA’s Neighborhood KPIs
Richmond is in the process of aligning its priorities, goals, and metrics and has identified 44 KPIs in its seven focus areas to track progress toward the city’s strategic priorities.