The Polis Center has partnered with several organizations to develop knowledge platforms, portals, and websites to better inform constituencies. A sampling of our work is noted below.
The Bowen Health Workforce Information Portal
The Polis Center collaborated with the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research & Policy to create the Bowen Health Workforce Information Portal (HWIP). The portal was developed to allow stakeholders the ability to readily discover, use, and share health workforce information. Additionally, HWIP provides reliable and timely data on Indiana’s health workforce in order to support data-driven policy development and to inform decisions at both the state and local levels. The HWIP is maintained by the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research & Policy at the Indiana University School of Medicine in collaboration with the State of Indiana.
Between May and July of 2016, the Bowen Center conducted an assessment of stakeholders’ data access and health workforce mapping needs. Based on needs identified by stakeholders, a data portal from which customized health workforce information would be accessed was prioritized. Technical and functional requirements for the Bowen Health Workforce Information Portal were established with the assistance of an advisory committee composed of executive decision makers from key state agencies, who provided ongoing input on technical and functional requirements, wireframes, and graphic design specifications. Three major functions were defined during this process: an Interactive Workforce Mapper, a Map Gallery, and a Data Download application. These functional components provide a solid foundation from which future expansion may occur in order to provide Indiana with timely and relevant health workforce data to inform health workforce policy and planning.
Domestic Violence Dashboard
The Polis Center collaborated with the Domestic Violence Network to develop the online Domestic Violence Dashboard, which presents data about domestic violence victims, perpetrators, and incidents in the Marion County criminal justice system. The dashboard features simple interactive charts, maps, and citations to make the data easy to use for advocates, media, and policymakers. Polis data from The Julian Center, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), IMPD Victim Assistance, Indiana Supreme Court Protective Orders, Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, Baker One Initiative, and 2-1-1 Connect2Help. A more detailed report on trends also is available on the website.
Generosity for Life
The Polis Center partners with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy to develop Generosity For Life, an interactive platform and resource on charitable giving that offers a multifaceted look at American families’ generosity over time. The Polis Center developed tools to visualize and analyze data from the school’s Philanthropy Panel Study (PPS), which tracks over 9,000 individuals’ and families’ giving, volunteering, and factors that influence those practices (e.g., employment, health, marital status) throughout their lives. PPS is the leading and most accurate resource for measuring generational giving and volunteering in the United States. Generosity for Life serves to understand how Americans are giving, encourage additional giving, and help to educate the public about generosity.
Indiana Impact
Indiana Impact community report card (www.indianaimpact.org) provides a quick snapshot of trends related to education, financial stability, and health for each county and United Way service areas across the state. Polis created the tool in partnership with the Indiana Association of United Ways to make data about key community trends easily available to United Ways around the state and to the nonprofits they serve. Indiana Impact was given an award for excellence in GIS in Indiana.
IndyVitals
Winner of state and national awards of excellence, IndyVitals serve the data needs of communities in Marion County. The Polis Center partnered with the City of Indianapolis and the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee to create IndyVitals.org, an online dashboard to support the City’s bicentennial efforts of Plan 2020. IndyVitals measures the health and stability of neighborhood areas in Marion County in categories such as Built Environment, Education, Economy & Jobs, Equity & Empowerment, and Health & Safety. The purpose of IndyVitals is to measure the overall impact of a wide array of Plan 2020 initiatives on neighborhoods and improve data access for community-based organizations, nonprofits, planners, and neighborhood representatives working on community improvement initiatives. This effort was funded through a grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
SAVI.org
SAVI empowers nonprofits, governments, and citizens with the community information they need. We bring together many data sources to power our SAVI tools and our research. Communities use this information to plan, to secure and target resources, and to advocate.