WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - Mar 8, 2012) - GOVERNING today announced the launch of a new site, GOVERNING DATA, which pulls together the data available on topics of interest to state and local governments. The site is accessible online at www.governing.com/data.
Data features on GOVERNING DATA at launch include a map that details state health insurance exchanges; a chart of unemployment rates that offers a quick comparison for each state against the national average by year; a U.S. map depicting percentages of "homegrown residents," or residents who were born in the state where they reside; and a word frequency analysis of 43 state governors' state-of-the-state addresses features a word cloud in which the words "jobs," "work" and "education" dominate -- the piece links to the individual word cloud and full text of each governor's speech.
"The problem isn't a lack of information," says GOVERNING.com editor Kathy A. Gambrell. "It's having the time and tools to make sense of it all. GOVERNING DATA identifies the best data sources available on state and local governments, adds analysis and context and makes comparisons possible. Data visualization tools give users at-a-glance understanding plus the functionality they need to manipulate and make good use of the information."
GOVERNING was founded 25 years ago as the first publication to focus exclusively on state and local government. GOVERNING DATA is one of several new initiatives publisher e.Republic has launched to better serve its audience of state and local government leaders.
Said GOVERNING Publisher Fred Kuhn, "Our goal is to give state and local leaders the tools and information they need to govern better. GOVERNING DATA makes it possible to find stories hiding in plain sight, buried in spreadsheets and reports. Local governments and others can use this site to identify trends and patterns or spot the standouts and outliers by issue."
Data and Analysis
GOVERNING DATA and the companion blog, "By the Numbers," are compiled and written by Data Editor Michael Maciag, who draws on years of experience as a journalist with several metro daily newspapers. At launch, GOVERNING DATA included more than 40 data sets, and that number is expected to grow exponentially by year-end. Databases are organized by topic, such as Economy, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Justice, Politics and Public Safety. Each data set links to analysis or related stories on governing.com.
Interactive Data Visualization Tools
Data visualization tools and info-graphics are a key feature of GOVERNING DATA, and include maps, graphs, word clouds, charts and trend lines. Users can customize much of the data on the site by narrowing parameters, filtering and sorting data to highlight specific details, such as date, geographic region or political affiliation.
Many data views can also be exported as an image or a PDF, making it easy to re-use the data in reports and research. All visualizations on the site can be re-used by anyone, provided they include full attribution and a link to the source page.
Future Plans for the Site
Additional tiers of data and new visualization tools will be added over the coming months.
About GOVERNING:
For 25 years, GOVERNING in the States and Localities has provided independent, nonpartisan coverage of state and local government.
GOVERNING is a division of e.Republic, the nation's leading publishing, research and new media company focused on state and local government and education.