Data Bytes

The articles in BCSTAT's “Data Bytes” series focus on bringing awareness to BCSTAT projects and initiatives, as well as the subject of data-driven government.

Data Bytes powered by BCSTAT

March: BCSTAT's COVID-19 Response 

When looking at the evolution of BCSTAT over time, the role of the pandemic in BCSTAT’s history cannot be ignored. BCSTAT operations first started in late 2019, officially launched on March 4, 2020, and one week later on March 11, COVID-19 was declared a pandemicby the World Health Organization. This time was harrowing for many, and the strain of the pandemic cannot be undervalued. However, this challenging time also required an immediate need for tracking, monitoring and managing the strategic use of resources, which in turn provided an opportunity for BCSTAT to step up to the plate.

In 2019 when BCSTAT had recently been launched, data infrastructure was limited. In order to provide proper data support for the pandemic, data from 911 calls, emergency medical services, hospitals and more were needed to provide information regarding all stakeholders involved. This meant that BCSTAT had to gain access to databases, clean data, identify relationships between datasets, and work with Baltimore County’s Office of Information Technology to ensure that all necessary parties could access the data they needed. Response to the pandemic required the rapid development of data architecture that supported needs in the moment, but also laid the foundation for database structure in the future.

With access to data, BCSTAT was able to provide support for pandemic-specific concerns. The County created to display vital metrics in near-real time. Public dashboards displayed the number of confirmed cases in each ZIP code in the County. An internal dashboard for County departments indicated personal protective equipment (PPE) inventories as the PPE supply chain became overwhelmed by demand and global logistics disruptions. As the pandemic response progressed and a vaccine was developed, BCSTAT analyzed geospatial data to see where vaccination rates were lower, indicating the potential need for mobile vaccination distribution efforts.

BCSTAT provided support for the direct impacts of the pandemic, but they also helped address indirect effects as well. They provided assistance with the Eviction Prevention Program, where applicants facing imminent evictions were identified for priority assistance with the Department of Housing and Community Development. Additionally, BCSTAT tracked the response to food insecurity by mapping distribution sites and recording the number of meals served to different communities.

Between BCSTAT’s official launch and the need for an emergency response to the pandemic, COVID-19 provided an opportunity for BCSTAT to demonstrate the value of data support across multiple departments and within government generally. Projects during the pandemic also solidified BCSTAT’s operations internally, establishing a model for the structure of the department. Senior Analyst for BCSTAT, Steven Reddick, explained the impact of the pandemic: “COVID-19 highlighted the critical need for real-time data availability for decision makers, and through our efforts, department managers came to recognize BCSTAT as a partner in promoting data transparency. This transparency proved to be a powerful asset in supporting their business cases, rather than being perceived as a tool for scrutiny or punishment.”

While the pandemic was a challenging time, it played a large role in shaping BCSTAT’s identity. The power of data came to light as information was used to monitor the spread of the disease, track supply usage and highlight areas in need of extra support during a time of need.

Past Editions

Transparency is a pillar of BCSTAT and our initiatives, including our dashboards which contribute significantly to our transparency efforts. Let’s dive into these tools and their role in open government data. 

Defining a Dashboard

Dashboards are a display of data visualizations grouped together to provide multiple perspectives for understanding information. Tableau—a data visualization software tool—defines dashboards as displaying various types of visual data in one place. Dashboards are not meant to be overwhelmingly technical. They are interactive and customizable, allowing the user to focus on areas of increased interest to them to support questioning and exploration. They are utilized across many disciplines for a variety of purposes. For example, an operations dashboard may contain information about the day-to-day functions of a business, while a dashboard in the healthcare field might have metrics related to patient discharges, admissions, and staffing.

Dashboards in Government

Jurisdictions at varying government levels utilize dashboards to provide up-to-date information on issues important to constituents. Researchers at the University of Namur in Belgium sought out to understand how individuals engage with government dashboards. The study found that individuals perceived a well-designed dashboard as easier to use than singular visualizations. It was also concluded that individuals are more interested in engaging with data if it is presented in a dashboard. 

Best Practices

This study also defined a list of best practices for government data dashboards, which should:

  • Provide meaningful metrics
  • Provide accurate data
  • Be accessible for different technical abilities
  • Feature visually-pleasing graphics
  • Be interactive and dynamic, so users can filter visualizations to focus on their specific interests
  • Allow users to provide feedback regarding data dashboards

BCSTAT Dashboards 

BCSTAT has a multitude of dynamic and interactive dashboards that cover a variety of topics that may be of interest to constituents, like the following:

  • Social Determinants of Health—Explores conditions of communities that can impact health and quality of life. Variables focus on five domains: Neighborhood, Health, Education, Social and Community, and Economy. Within these domains, users can explore the prevalence of different factors, such as houses without internet, heart disease, library card registration, , and much more.
  • Food Establishment Closures—Indicates food facilities that have experienced closure due to a critical health code violation. This data is updated daily.
  • Crime Dashboard—Presents data from the National Incident-Based Reporting Systems which indicates crimes in Baltimore County by type of offense, ZIP code of occurrence and time of incidence.
  • Other dashboards look at water quality, code enforcement, traffic stops, police use of force and ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding. 

Constituents are encouraged to explore data that is important to them or specific to their community. Questions and feedback regarding BCSTAT dashboards can be sent to bcstat@baltimorecountymd.gov. 

When former County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced the launch of BCSTAT, he stated that an open and transparent government would be one of BCSTAT’s highest priorities. In practice, this translates into publishing data in accessible formats so residents can explore and learn more about data collection, public issues and budgeting in Baltimore County. 

Defining Open Government Data

Transparency and open data in government is gaining traction across the world. Open government data (OGD) often has objectives focused on data-driven products, government accountability and public participation. Researchers at the University of Albany who analyzed OGD and pathways for citizen participation stated that the emergence of OGD in government increasingly helps support economic, social and political benefits.

Governments typically emphasize or focus on one of two “paths” in regard to OGD:

  1. Innovation—Refers to the idea that OGD acts as a platform for creating new applications and services with some governments hosting app contests to encourage the use of OGD.
  2. Participation and Accountability—Governments may focus on analyzing and visualizing information to guide decision making with the goal to empower their residents, increase trust in government and improve policymaking processes.

Open Government Data in Baltimore County 

For the County, OGD supports both innovation as well as participation and accountability. County departments publish raw datasets that cover a variety of topics. For example, datasets may be geographic and focus on features such as watersheds, public golf courses, fire hydrants, tree inventories and much more. These raw datasets are ideal for innovation, and can act as building blocks for the development of new applications and technology. 

In addition to publishing datasets, the County has also published data-based apps. Baltimore County’s Office of Information Technology has an app called “My Neighborhood” that allows users to look up information about different properties in the County. Additionally, BCSTAT publishes dashboards that focus on a variety of topics such as crime, code enforcement, traffic stops and more. These dashboards and applications exemplify the second “path” of OGD that emphasizes participation and accountability. There have also been opportunities when nonprofits were empowered to utilize BCSTAT’s Social Determinants of Health Dashboard to support their operations. 

Baltimore County also publishes an open budget which provides detailed information about how County funds are sourced and how resources are allocated to communities. For example, in the open budget, users can see the proportion of the budget designated to support education at all levels with funding for the Board of Education as well as the Community College of Baltimore County. From here, users can continue to track the allocation of funding at a more granular level. This practice of transparency in government budgeting has been referred to as fiscal openness. Open Government Partnership provides an overview of fiscal openness and states that citizens have a right to know how government funds are being spent.

An open and transparent government is essential for Baltimore County. Open datasets, applications, dashboards, and open budget information all provide opportunities for residents to learn more about their community and see how their government continues to support innovation, participation, and accountability.

In a press release on March 4, 2020, County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced the formation of BCSTAT, Baltimore County Government’s data-driven performance management program.

While the team had been incorporating data into government practices since November 2019, this was the formal transition to an era of modernized, data-driven government. Now, five years after the unofficial launch of BCSTAT, we can pause to bring recognition to this department and see how the program has grown since its beginning. 

description of Data-Driven Government

At its core, data-driven government seeks to incorporate evidence, research and data analysis into decision making processes, evaluation and policymaking. BCSTAT’s data-driven government approach is three pronged:

  1. BCSTAT acts as an internal consulting agency for County departments to provide data analysis and other project support. Some departments have their own data analysis team, while others don’t. BCSTAT ensures that every Baltimore County Government department has access to data support.
  2. BCSTAT provides opportunities for collaborative review and discussion regarding data analysis findings. The team hosts "STAT sessions"—cross-departmental meetings with department heads, administrative leadership and the BCSTAT team—to discuss the results of analyses. STAT sessions provide a forum for open discussion and ensure that those with the capacity to take action are involved in the conversation from the start.
  3. BCSTAT provides transparency. The team ensures that there is public access to certain datasets and hosts publicly accessible dashboards. 

An article published in the journal "Public Administration Review," dives into evidence-informed policymaking. The author of this article, Brian Head, explains that the evidence-based policy movement began in the 1970s, with goals of improving efficiency and effectiveness in decision-making, as well as to improve civic trust in decision makers.

While Head highlights concerns related to isolation of the components within the policy process, BCSTAT avoids these concerns as it functions as a one-stop shop. The BCSTAT team consists of data analysts, researchers, policy analysts and law professionals who work together to cover multiple phases of the evidence-informed policy process, avoiding isolation. Head’s research also emphasized the importance of face-to-face exchanges and facilitated meetings between decision makers and researchers. STAT sessions act as just that, a face-to-face meeting for the exchange of information between departments and leadership. BCSTAT is built on a solid foundation that highlights communication with decision makers, ease of access to data analysis services and transparency with the public. 

How BCSTAT HAS grown over the past five years

Since 2019, the BCSTAT team has grown significantly. Starting with just a few core members, the department has gradually grown to currently include approximately 15 employees. 

Projects and topics addressed by the team have expanded as well. The first STAT session held in 2019 focused on the Department of Corrections. STAT sessions are now regularly held for a range of topics, such as:

  • Behavioral health
  • Capital projects
  • Education
  • Housing and homelessness
  • Neighborhood concerns
  • Public safety
  • Sustainability
  • Transportation
  • The workforce

As shown below, the frequency of STAT sessions has also increased significantly by year. When the team launched in late 2019, they hosted just two STAT sessions. Now, as 2024 wraps up, they are on track to host 37 STAT sessions this year. 

  • 2019—2 sessions
  • 2020—15 sessions
  • 2021—29 sessions
  • 2022—33 sessions
  • 2023—36 sessions
  • 2024—37 sessions

BCSTAT has proven to be a helpful addition to Baltimore County over the past few years. Cheers to many more years of BCSTAT’s hard work and dedication to improving practices and policies in Baltimore County Government.