Data

South Carolina database makes addiction treatment measurement accessible

The platform is the first of its kind to break down care delivery county by county and help understand how well treatment is working.

Pennsylvania turns to AI to help reduce time-to-hire

The state aims to bring the time it takes to hire a new employee down to within 50 days.

Police department turns to new data tool to boost performance

The Rochester, New York, Police Department started using a tool known as Commons in April. It provides frequently updated criminal justice data and can help set policy goals.

Problem solved: How data makes cities more efficient, effective and attuned to AI

COMMENTARY | If the public sector wants to operate at peak performance, it must harness its data and deploy it across all its functions. Cities across the world are showing what is possible.

First-of-its-kind assessment maps states’ public health data-sharing policies

Timely, accurate, and complete information is vital to detecting, preventing disease.

AI could be key to quicker disease detection and treatment, expert says

A new partnership between the University of Pittsburgh and Leidos aims to advance public health disease monitoring by developing artificial intelligence-enabled detection tools.

Why is it so hard to collect local rental data?

Rental registries, a database of leased-out addresses and their owners, are one solution. But resistance from landlords who may fear competition in a tight housing market could prevent their adoption.

The New York State Police are feeding ICE a gang database

For 20 years, the state police have been quietly building a database of suspected gang members — and they’re feeding it to Donald Trump’s administration.

The Colorado model: Leveraging research and data to guide investments and drive outcomes

COMMENTARY | A new partnership helps lawmakers make data-driven decisions and identify whether initiatives are succeeding. It will ensure value for money for residents and deliver proven outcomes.

How cities are making data-driven decisions in the age of AI

For almost a decade, What Works Cities has helped cities understand how to use the data they collect to improve outcomes. The advent of AI has accelerated much of that mission.

As demand for AI rises, so do power thirsty data centers

As data centers are developed in new communities across the country, residents and their state legislators see a mix of financial benefits with energy and environmental challenges.

State and local governments continue fight drug epidemic with tech

From at-home devices to federal lab testing, state and local officials are finding new ways to leverage tech to curb drug overdoses in their communities.

Minnesota Senate Democrats propose new tax on social media companies

Some Minnesota lawmakers are proposing a first-in-the-nation tax on large social media companies that collect data on consumers in the state.

Cuts to federal health agency raise concerns about state and local impacts

The staff and budget cuts at the federal level will hamper state and local health departments’ capacity to juggle public health needs like disease surveillance and data modernization, experts say.

Cities lead bans on algorithmic rent hikes as states lag behind

Minneapolis is the latest city to crack down. State legislative efforts have moved slowly.

Pennsylvania is an efficiency north star, expert says

A permitting reform effort in Pennsylvania could serve as a model for other states looking to streamline operations and improve service delivery, according to a fellow at the Institute for Responsive Government.

Idaho lawmakers want Department of Labor to study impacts of mandatory E-Verify law

Opponents hope the study will show the negative effects of cracking down on unauthorized workers.

Data can help agencies get ahead of increasing health care costs amid funding uncertainty

States are turning to data to inform health care spending decisions. One expert says tech like artificial intelligence will play a large role in enhancing those decisions.

Nation’s capitol taps data, tech to better serve homeless population

In Washington, D.C., a modernization push is helping homeless shelters and other stakeholders link individuals to emergency shelters more efficiently.

As bird flu spreads, feds might undercut states by firing scientists, removing data

The avian influenza virus has killed millions of wild birds and led to emergency culling of commercial flocks.