In addition to UConn’s MAIC initiative and the UCCGIA from the Geography Department, the Census Bureau FERRET Project and the Center for Disease Control are developing data release programs to release population and demographic data available onine on-demand.
What do we need?
Data sources should be linked to one another, be easily searchable, and easily accessible. Noting the unavailability of reliable and complete business information, Jeff Blodgett recommends creating a master business registry and undertaking a longitudinal analysis of businesses in Connecticut to provide data for both public and private concerns.
ISDC: The Making of a State Data Center
from Dr. Morton Marcus, Director, The Indiana Business Research Center, Kelley School of Business at Indiana University
In his discussion, Dr. Marcus stressed that a state data center in Connecticut should be a broad attempt to bring information collected by state and federal agencies to the State of Connecticut. The specific kinds of data are not important–the agency should be concerned with the organization and dissemination of what is available.
Most conference speakers noted the importance of focusing on the whole. That is, recognizing that providing access to all of the available data, regardless of its type, should be the main focus of a state data center in Connecticut. In addition, linking and providing access to existing data sources should be the first undertaking of such a data center, while increasing the stock of available data should be the second priority.
The data center does not need to be a single independent organization. It can and should be a collaborative effort between a variety of agencies. It is important to credit to the various supportive people and agencies. and agencies that provide the necessary data. Broad participation is vital.