Policy & Practice August 2018

capabilities long before the storm hit. These systems helped to identify safe evacuation routes, helicopter landing zones, and places where people needed rescuing during the storm. This effort began in 2015, when the Texas Department of Information Resources and the Texas Natural Resources Information System, working with Google, started a project that uses geographic information systems to combine data from across state agencies and map it in a way that is easy to understand. In the midst of the hurricane, the Google Imagery project 3 shared hourly map updates to keep first responders abreast of the situation; in the aftermath, it was used to predict when school areas could be expected to reopen. This strategic use of data allowed rescuers and

cannot usually offer salaries com- petitive with the private sector. • Data Accessibility. Outdated tech- nology can make it difficult for states to extract their data in a usable format. And when computer systems are controlled by contractors, states may not even own their data or they may lack the technical expertise to access it. • Data Quality. Data are only useful when they are accurate and reliable. When data points are missing, inaccurate, or poorly defined, the information is less useful. • Data Sharing. Data are most valuable when they can be shared across programs or agencies and combined with other data sets to get new insights. However, many state agencies face uncertainty about how to comply with privacy laws or share data while keeping it secure—thus limiting the insights that can be gleaned from the data. Five Key Actions for Strategically Using Data To Make Decisions Regardless of a state’s current data capabilities, Pew’s researchers found that state agencies can take five concrete steps to maximize the value of administrative data at their disposal and move toward the goal of using data to make better decisions. 1. Plan ahead by setting up guiding goals and structures. By planning ahead, states can create a more

government agencies to make far more intelligent, real-time decisions than would have been possible previously. State agencies across the country have also been leveraging their data for a wide variety of purposes. For example, New Jersey analyzed its data on a prescription drug program to facilitate targeted outreach to senior citizens eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Virginia created a system to share data between its human services agencies and nonprofits, making it possible to functionally end homelessness among veterans. Colorado analyzed its Medicaid prescription drug claims data and discovered evidence of fraud, waste, and abuse in opioid prescrip- tions. Across the nation, states are increasingly overcoming challenges that range from lack of funding to unskilled staff and are using data stra- tegically to achieve better outcomes. Challenges States Face In seeking to make better use of data to drive policy, states have come up against a handful of significant, but not insurmountable, challenges, which must be solved for the use of data to be maximized (see Figure 1). The top four challenges are: • Staffing. To use data effectively, state governments need staff members with an understanding of public policy, the technical skills to manage and analyze data, and the communication skills to present findings to a wide range of audi- ences. These workers are in short supply, especially since governments

Kil Huh is a Senior Director at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Amber Ivey is an Officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Dan Kitson is an Associate at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

See Policy Decisions on page 43

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