| Session Title: Using Visual Data to Engage Stakeholders in a Community Assessment of a Placed-based Initiative |
| Multipaper Session 416 to be held in Avila B on Thursday, Nov 3, 2:50 PM to 4:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Data Visualization and Reporting TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Joelle Greene, Harder+Company Community Research, jgreene@harderco.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Lee Werbel, First 5 Los Angeles, lwerbel@first5la.org |
| Abstract: Evaluations of comprehensive place-based initiatives require evaluators to engage multiple stakeholders in the evaluative process in meaningful ways. The methods of engagement utilized in a particular project reflect values in two important ways: First, the way in which evaluators value stakeholders as informants and data sources and second, how evaluators value the very process of stakeholder engagement itself. This presentation focuses on the use of data visualization techniques to engage stakeholders in meaningful ways in a community assessment process. Each presenter will highlight a method of visual data presentation/collection (participatory photography, video, story maps, GIS mapping and Social Network Analysis) and will illustrate how it was utilized to engage particular stakeholder groups. Presentations include illustrations of the work produced, an analysis of how the visual method influenced the nature of the data garnered and lessons learned from implementing these approaches in a community-based setting. |
| Participatory Photography and Video as a Tool for Engaging Community Members in Community Assessment |
| Loraine Park, Harder+Company Community Research, lpark@harderco.com |
| Participatory photography is an approach that emphasizes the use of digital media to provide community members with the opportunity to represent themselves directly (in contrast to researchers or evaluators representing community views indirectly) and to create tools for advocacy and communication as a catalyst for social change. This presentation will highlight how participatory photography was used to involve stakeholders in a community assessment process. This will include examples of products produced and lessons learned about implementing participatory photography in the context of a community assessment. The unique data provided by the approach will be contrasted to other data sources to illustrate the utility of the approach to providing alternate community perspectives to the evaluative context. |
| Story Maps as a Tool for Community Engagement and Public Involvement |
| Carolyn Verheyen, MIG Inc, cverheyen@migcom.com |
| Story Maps represent a relatively new way to report community assessment findings in an interactive visual format. This presentation will highlight the use of Story Maps as part of the web-based dissemination of community assessment findings. Story maps utilize a combination of participatory photography and narrative and/or video embedded in an interactive map as part of a website. The presentation will highlight the process of helping communities design the Story Map and discuss the impact of the approach on the community engagement process on the dissemination of findings. |
| Using Geographical Information System (GIS) Maps to Engage Focus Groups in Asset Mapping |
| Eric Wat, Special Services for Groups, ewat@ssgmain.org |
| Asset Mapping is a common activity in most community assessment processes. GIS mapping technology provides evaluators with an opportunity to create geographic asset maps that community members can interact with during traditional asset mapping activities. This presentation will highlight the use of GIS maps of existing community boundaries and resources to conduct asset mapping activities as part of a larger community assessment effort. Community members and organizations were asked to respond to maps of resources created by evaluators based on publically available information as well as maps created by other community members in earlier asset mapping sessions. The discussion will include samples of products produced by both evaluators and community members, the utility of the approach and lessons learned. |
| Social Network Analysis as a Tool for Engaging Communities in the Assessment of Inter-organizational Collaboration |
| Joelle Greene, Harder+Company Community Research, jgreene@harderco.com |
| The success of place-based initiatives is largely contingent upon the ability of communities, leaders and organizations to collaborate. From the assessment of needs, to resource allocations and coordination of services, organizations are required to work towards mutual goals and outcomes. In this community assessment an organizational survey was conducted, in part, to help determine current levels of collaboration among organizations and to help the community partnership envision and set future goals related to the nature and degree of collaboration in their community. In the presentation we will provide examples of Social Network Analysis (SNA) maps used to interact with the community partnership, highlight how the data was used in the planning process, and how SNA will be used longitudinally to map changes in levels of collaboration over time in a place-based comprehensive community initiative. |