As local governments increasingly prioritize data management and governance — the foundation for emerging technologies like AI — some are still shaping their strategies.
The newly launched Data Snapshot aims to create a simplified entryway for cities to participate in the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification (WWC Certification) program.
“We want more cities to be able to connect to our capacity-building resources,” Rochelle Haynes, managing director of What Works Cities at Results for America, said.
The organization had received feedback through stakeholder engagement that the initial assessment process could be “intimidating,” Haynes said, especially for smaller cities or those with less data maturity.
After cities complete the streamlined assessment, they will be connected to the organization’s resources, including a customized action plan with opportunities to improve, she said.
The new tool is intended to get more cities connected to resources, Haynes said: “I think right now, with limited dollars — tighter budgets — government is going to have to be really efficient in the next few years, and the way to do that is to have your data house in order to be able to make some effective decisions.”
More than 100 cities have now received the WWC Certification, which expanded internationally in 2022. One city that was newly certified in February is Raleigh, N.C., and the city’s GIS and emerging technology manager, Jim Alberque, told Government Technology then that very few of the city’s projects today are being executed without data.
The Data Snapshot is available to all cities, regardless of their data maturity level, as described in the video below from Results for America.
The primary challenge for cities around data is getting started, Haynes said. While some smaller cities have viewed the WWC Certification initiative as something targeted to big cities, she underlined that this is not the case.
“We are here for every single city,” she said, emphasizing that this includes both small cities that are just starting out and big cities that are continuing to refine their practices.
After getting a clearer picture of data maturity and access to resources through the eight-question Data Snapshot, cities can move to the standard 43-question assessment to obtain certification status.
Strong data practices can help cities better comprehend and meet the needs of residents, as data can help officials understand what residents need from their governments and how residents are engaging with services. “Future-proofing” civic technology requires governments to consider the long-term needs of those they serve, and that’s where data plays a role, she said.
“There has to be a vision tied to it, and it has to be rooted in good data management and data structures and governance to be able to leverage it,” she stated.
One key technology emerging in this area for localities is AI, and Haynes said implementations are happening in both large and small cities. Its rise is shaping local government data practices, because city officials understand that an AI tool is “only as good as the data that you put into it,” she said.
City officials can find the new Data Snapshot and more information about the assessment and local government network on the organization’s website.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with clarification on the relationship between What Works Cities’ initial eight-question Data Snapshot and its 43-question Certification Assessment.
