Data matter for rural development processes. Government agencies, businesses, and non-governmental organizations use data about people and the places where they live, work, and play to assess what happened in the past, current... [ view full abstract ]
Data matter for rural development processes. Government agencies, businesses, and non-governmental organizations use data about people and the places where they live, work, and play to assess what happened in the past, current situations, and future trajectories. At multiple levels, organizations use data to make the case for investments in development, sometimes emphasizing dire needs while other times focusing on assets and capacities. Accessed through and filtered by various media and political organizations, the public uses data to influence decision making, such as where to live and send children to school, what to do about the latest health concerns, and who to vote for in upcoming elections. In all of these cases, we should be concerned with the accuracy, currency, and accessibility of data, along with the strategies being used for analysis and interpretation. Furthermore, to move from data and information to actual knowledge, greater public engagement is necessary. With rapid increases in computing power and use of the Internet, data have proliferated exponentially in this era of digital, large-scale, and so-called big data. Even the 2020 US Census will collect some data online. Combining the potential power of traditional large-scale data products (vital records, census, large sample surveys) being accessible via the Internet with new big data captured from electronic medical records, business transactions, and social media, there is ever more emphasis on using data to inform health initiatives. Although there are opportunities, there are challenges as well, including issues of data accessibility and data literacy. The digital divide is critical, as is growing division between those with limited statistical literacy and those with the education and preparation to make use of data. Often unrecognized is the need for education and training to prepare people for not only data management and analysis but also to build their content area expertise and public engagement facilitation skills. This presentation will explore opportunities, challenges, and ways to move forward with rural community development in the new world of large-scale and big data, using examples and lessons learned from health-related projects in Mississippi (Design with Data, New Pathways to Health, Right! from the Start, and Community Based Research to Reduce Lead Exposure). Education and training initiatives (Society and Health Academic Minor) will be discussed concerning the need to help future leaders and their communities to harness the power of data to inform rural community development processes to improve population health.
