03. The Opportunity Project: Using Data to Make a Difference in People's Lives, U.S. Census Bureau

• In Event: 270 - Research Funding Opportunities and Data Resources (part of the Research Support Forum)

Abstract

The Opportunity Project (opportunity.census.gov) is a community building initiative and an innovative challenge for groups to use public datasets to create applications to address the needs of individuals and communities. The project focuses on engagement of community members, advocates, and developers in utilizing technology to assess needs and create resources to improve access to opportunity – emphasizing open data and collective action. However, knowing your community intuitively and understanding the breadth and depth of datasets that might help address your community’s challenges are two very different things.

This poster session will offer a visual demonstration of Census Bureau tools for use in the scenarios presented in The Opportunity Project, or for use in the real life scenarios that play out in your neighborhood on a daily basis. Not a developer? No problem. This poster session will not be limited to those with advanced knowledge of program development, or computers in general; nor will it be jargon-dense. This easy-to-follow, demonstration on ways to use data effectively will emphasize information from the American Community Survey (ACS), and other employer related statistics to show users how to retrieve data down to a block group level; you will also learn how to map what you find! Whether your interest is in affordable housing, health care, employment, prisoner re-entry, or otherwise, you will learn tips and tricks on the best datasets and data access tools to find what you need to create opportunity in your community.

Authors

• Ally Burleson-Gibson, U.S. Census Bureau

• Armando Mendoza, U.S. Census Bureau

• Tomas E. Encarnacion, U.S. Census Bureau