August 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 17

through dynamic maps and customizable
reports. Touting more than 220 years of
demographic data, 25,000 maps and hundreds of profile reports, Social Explorer
empowers people to work with data by
transforming it into meaningful information. Maps and tables about U.S. demography, population estimates and health data
are available. The mapping system allows
users to create and customize maps with a
suite of tools, including side-by-side maps,
satellite view and swipe maps to compare
variables and geographies while providing
context to your visualizations. A storyboard tool for creating sophisticated presentations is also available.
Following along with NRPA's Social
Equity Pillar, the National Equity Atlas
(http://nationalequityatlas.org/) provides
data on demographic change, racial inclusion and the economic benefits of equity
for the 100 largest cities, 150 largest regions
and all 50 states. It is a comprehensive resource for data to track, measure and make
the case for inclusive growth in America's
regions, states and nationwide. The atlas
contains data on demographic change, racial and economic inclusion, and the potential economic gains from racial equity.
The National Association of Counties offers the NaCo County Explorer (http://explorer.naco.org/), a visualization tool that
provides key county-level information on
a wide variety of topics: demographics, the
economy, education, health care and public
safety. The interactive mapping interface enables users to explore a variety of indicators,
such as population density, median household income, and number of endangered
and threatened species. County profiles are
also provided to highlight data and information related to key policies and legislation.
Another resource for county-level
data is the County Health Rankings
and Roadmaps Program (www.countyhealthrankings.org/). A collaboration
between the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, this

program aims to measure the health of
nearly all counties in the nation and to
rank them within states based on a variety of national and state data sources.
Once you have explored some of the
health and economic factors, the Roadmaps to Health Action Center will help
you determine the next steps to take.
Recognizing that communities vary
widely and efforts to improve health will
also vary, the Roadmaps Action Center
outlines a series of steps to find guidance
and means for taking action.
A final mapping and data resource is the
U.S. Health Map (www.healthdata.org/
data-visualization/us-health-map), developed by The Institute for Health Metrics
and Evaluation, an independent global
health research center at the University
of Washington. The interactive mapping
tool lets you explore county-level health
trends throughout the United States. In-

formation about life expectancy, hypertension, obesity and physical activity can be
visualized quickly, providing you with the
information necessary to make informed
decisions. There are also infographics and
county profiles that provide concise summaries of various health indicators.
From the county-level to your local
neighborhood, these public resources serve
as a starting point for park and recreation
agencies to explore data on a variety of topics. All of these resources are openly available to help you in the quest to secure more
funding support, improve operations and
better serve your community. Don't forget
to check out these and many other resources on the Additional Mapping and Data
Resources webpage under Publications and
Research on www.nrpa.org.
Daniel Espada is NRPA's Research Analyst
(despada@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

August 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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