Data Tools

Data is more than just numbers, it can be a valuable tool to help us to tell stories, better understand the world, and advocate for the societal transformations we yearn for. But in order for data to serve that purpose, we have to ask the right questions. Through their deep commitment to community engagement and accountability, DataWorks NC has expanded grassroots access to data tools and shed light on some of the biggest challenges we collectively face today.

DataWorks data and maps are crucial to ensuring Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association has the information needed to better understand the inequitable distribution of conservation lands and public access to nature in Durham.  This information, provided in easy-to-use format on the Neighborhood Compass website, has already helped us to better educate the community and elected officials and being to take positive action to begin to correct this historical injustice.

I have had the good fortune to work with DataWorks on a number projects over the years. The first project was centered on better understanding home sales in Durham and their increase in price year over year. With Durham being a fairly large city, there was quite a bit of data to both collect and process. What was truly impressive about the way that the organization works is that from initial project design all the way to actually synthesizing all of that data (and making it meaningful for both experts and laymen alike), it seemed like absolutely every angle of the project had been scrutinized and nailed down. Their methodology was so efficient, that despite having helped acquire a large amount of the data, I was very comfortable stepping back and letting DataWorks handle everything from there. The end result was a masterpiece of quantitative and visual data which allowed the end users to really get a good understanding of how home prices in different areas of Durham had changed, which areas were seeing the largest increases, and how those numbers potentially impacted other community indicators such as housing security and food access. The last thing that I will say about my belief in DataWorks is that I feel so strongly about their value that I personally donate financially in an effort to support their mission.

I have been a data wonk for a long time because I believe in data’s power to positively affect public policy.  I have happily watched and supported the metamorphosis of Neighborhood Compass into DataWorks and have never seen another data science outfit produce a fraction of the new, data-based formulations and revelations coming out of DataWorks.  The creative combination and re-combination of data, geographies, and principles of equitable data application mean DataWorks is simultaneously pushing back numerous boundaries in data science and application.  They have become a treasure to Durham and a beacon for local data innovators throughout the entire country.