CIVIC-PG Track B: Understanding Native American Tribal Residents Needs through Better Data and Query Systems

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB) administration currently works with a patchwork of data silos that limits their ability to identify and address the needs of their residents. This project defines a central “database of record” containing a comprehensive set of indicators about LTBB residents and their community, such as their demographics, health, education, the economy, the natural environment, employment, housing, public safety and transportation. The database incorporates tribal knowledge in addition to standard community indicators, and includes key terms from the tribal language. This project is an important component of supporting tribal nations’ effort to develop data strategies and data sovereignty. The project incorporates technical advances in the design of this database, including: integrating existing data sets with large variations; interpolating missing values; addressing data equity, using this database to inform future data collection strategies, and making the database easy to use by tribal government employees in multiple departments and with varying levels of technical skills. Data collection is expensive, and hence must be used sparingly. This project uses a smart mix of integration and interpolation to minimize the need for fresh data collection. It builds upon the team's past work on data equity to ensure that the results obtained are equitable. In past research, there have been many recent technical advances that facilitate collecting, integrating, and analyzing data. Nevertheless, such advances often address one component of the data-driven decision making process, and integrating multiple such advances into a data project can be challenging because of the many real-life “wrinkles” that get assumed away in most academic research. This project identifies and addresses key considerations that are often missing in an academic research environment, and thus advances research generalizability through real-life deployment in a scenario with high social value. In Stage 2 of this project, the team will build a database of record, along with query facilities that are easy to use. The resulting database of record will drive the strategic direction of the tribal government, including through better targeted effort in seeking and allocating resources, and through better identifying citizens with unmet needs. This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program—Track B. Bridging the gap between essential resources and services & community needs—and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.