| Frequently
Asked Questions
About the Alliance
What
is the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance and what does it do?
How
was the Alliance started and why?
What
organization are part of the Alliance? What is the difference
between the Alliance and organizations like CitiStat or the Family League?
Are
there other cities that do similar work?
About
the Vital Signs What
are the Vital Signs?
How
do the Vital Signs differ from other indicators?
How
can I access the Vital Signs?
How
can I learn the definitions of each of the Vital Signs and learn what the
Vital Signs show? How
often are the Vital Signs updated?
What
is an indicator? How is this different from data? How
can I get help using the Vital Signs; who is using them now and why? Training
and Technical Assistance Strategy How
do I get help understanding and using data, indicators and the Vital Signs effectively?
Does
the Alliance give training to individuals or only large groups? Can
I get a copy of the Alliance's Training Curriculum? How
can I find the definition of simple data terms - like rates, percents, etc? One
Stop Shop for Data What is the "One Stop Shop
for Data", how does it work, and what data are available? Can
I access data for areas outside of Baltimore City? Are
all the Vital Signs and other data available in tables, charts and maps? How
were the Community Statistical Areas devised and why? What
is a census tract, and why is it the smallest level available? How
often are the data updated? How is the accuracy of the
data verified? Mapping What
are the kinds of maps that the Alliance staff provide and how can I access them?
How
do I operate the interactive mapping system to get the data I need? How
do I go from CSA level to census tract level on the mapping system?
How do
I print a map from the interactive mapping system? How
does the query function work on the interactive mapping system?
About
the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance
What
is the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance and what does it do?
The Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance is a citywide nonprofit
organization composed of diverse groups committed to promoting, supporting, and
making better decisions using accurate, reliable, and accessible data and indicators
for improving the quality of life in Baltimore City neighborhoods. This
unique Alliance builds on and coordinates the related work of nonprofit organizations,
city and state government agencies, neighborhoods, foundations, businesses and
universities to foster well-informed decision making for change toward a shared
vision of strong neighborhoods, good quality of life, and a thriving city. While
each affiliated organization continues in their own way to promote this principle,
their work is coordinated and mobilized by the Alliance staff to provide the following
resources: Produce and provide the set of outcome indicators -
the Vital Signs - that "take the pulse" of Baltimore neighborhoods
by tracking progress toward common results for strong neighborhoods and a thriving
city.
Conduct training and technical assistance with groups on
accessing, understanding and using these Vital Signs and other data for
neighborhood change over time, and promote a "results based approach to decision
making"
Provide access to the Vital Signs and multiple data
items in a widely available and user-friendly way through the "One Stop
Shop" for neighborhood data available through this website and the Alliance
staff and partners.
[Back
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How
was the Alliance started and why? The Alliance was born
in 2000 after a two-year planning process where several citywide nonprofit organizations,
city government agencies, neighborhoods, and foundations gathered by the Association
of Baltimore Area Grantmakers and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Since
that time, the Alliance has grown to include many more groups and individuals,
and more each day have come to consider themselves part of this growing Alliance
- this movement toward well-informed decision making for change. The
Alliance designed its core functions based on the knowledge that Baltimore
needed a common way of understanding how our neighborhoods and overall quality
of life are changing over time. Baltimore needed a common threshold from
which to have discussions about what is best for changing conditions. Baltimore
needed a mechanism to hold itself, and all others who work, live, play, and
invest in its neighborhoods, accountable for moving in the right direction. The
Alliance works to fulfill these needs.
[Back
to Top]
What
organizations are part of the Alliance?
The
Alliance includes multiple partners, including data providers, community building
groups, foundations, neighborhoods and many more. The Alliance
brings together the resources of strategic partners and places them in a neighborhood
context. Several of these groups contribute their time and effort to develop the
Alliance core functions. The idea is to work together toward our goals, and not
reinvent the wheel. Go to the About BNIA section
for the list of the groups and individuals involved in our work groups. The
Alliance Vital Signs Steering Committee facilitated the development
of the Vital Signs, and continues to refine them each year. In addition,
they advise on activities to ensure continued use of the Vital Signs in
Baltimore Life, such as the media partnerships, training, reports, and speaking
engagements. The Training and Technical Assistance
group consists of community building groups and technical assistance providers
who aided in the design of the unique Training Curriculum, and provide the avenue
for the Alliance staff to conduct trainings in their respective workshops, as
well as plan other training events. The Data Provider
partners initially began to work together to build the "One Stop
Shop" for data. They continue working with the Alliance staff to update
the data, analyze data for the Vital Signs, and develop and comply with
data quality standards. Each data provider partner houses, maintains, and
analyzes its own data, and provides specific data to the Alliance in an aggregated
form. They rely on the Alliance staff to work directly with neighborhood groups
and others to understand and use data and indicators effectively. Each
group involved relies on the Alliance staff to track the changing conditions in
neighborhoods and quality of life over time using the Vital Signs, and
to help explain the impact the work of the partners may have on those conditions. [Back
to Top]
What
is the difference between the Alliance and organizations like CitiStat or the
Family League? CitiStat, the Mayor's prize
winning government performance initiative, tracks the performance of city agencies
in order to make sure they are working efficiently, effectively, and working
for the citizens of Baltimore. The Alliance tracks the
changing conditions of neighborhoods and quality of life over time using the Vital
Signs, not effectiveness of specific programs. Citistat
measures performance of city agencies; the Alliance measures progress toward end
results over time. The Mayor and others can use the Vital Signs to understand
if the efforts of better city agency performance are a factor in making an impact
on improving neighborhood conditions and quality of life in Baltimore over time. The
Alliance is also different from other partners like the Data Collaborative
at the Family League of Baltimore City, which tracks and evaluates the conditions
of children and families, and the programs that are designed to help them.
The Alliance places some of that information in a neighborhood context. The
staff of each organization work together to share information. The value
the Alliance staff brings to these and all partners is to help understand
the impact their work has on changing conditions, as articulated by the Vital
Signs. The partners also have the advantage of the Alliance staff working
directly with neighborhoods, ensuring that they are using and understanding data
and indicators effectively. [Back
to Top}
Are
there other cities that do similar work?
The
Alliance is a founding member of the Community Indicators Consortium, a
growing network of communities, individuals, and international groups interested
in furthering the field of developing community indicators systems for use in
measure progress toward long term results for change. Currently there are over
400 member cities. The Alliance is also member of the National
Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), a network of 20 cities that have
statistical data systems coordinated by the Urban Institute. This Partnership
is designed to share lessons learned, successes, and challenges among the partnership
sites relative to data system development, reports, and use. [Back
to Top] About
the Vital Signs
What
are the Vital Signs?
The Vital Signs are 40 outcome
indicators that "take the pulse" of Baltimore neighborhoods to measure
progress towards a shared vision for strong Baltimore neighborhoods, improved
quality of life, and a thriving city over time. The Alliance tracks
these outcome indicators each year, and trains various groups and individuals
on using these indicators to enhance their work toward long term change. This
training helps people use the Vital Signs in a "results based approach
to decision making" process to make strategic decisions and understand the
impact these decisions have on changing conditions over time. Like the
"vital signs" a doctor uses to determine a patient's health, these indicators
are Baltimore's Vital Signs - useful measures of our neighborhoods' health and
strength over time. The Vital Signs were first released in November
of 2002, and the Alliance releases an update each year via the website and in
report form. VITAL SIGNS 3 tracking trends from 2000-2003 is NOW
AVAILABLE! Go to the Vital Signs page
for more details! The 40 Vital Signs are organized
into 7 topic areas: Housing and Community Development
Children and Family Health, Safety and Well-Being
Workforce and Economic
Development
Sanitation
Urban Environment and Transit
Education and
Youth
Neighborhood Action and Sense of Community
[Back
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How do the Vital
Signs differ from other indicators?
The Vital Signs are
specific outcome indicators developed through a community driven process and
vetted through the Alliance Vital Signs Steering Committee as the best
measures of the city's progress, neighborhood by neighborhood. Not every
indicator is an outcome indicator, and not every outcome indicator is important
enough to be one of the Vital Signs. For more information
on the development process, go the Indicators
section of the website. The Vital Signs do not evaluate programs,
rather they are a common threshold to measure changing conditions. Outcome indicators
measure progress toward a goal or result that mark changes in conditions over
time. Program / process /performance indicators measure whether a specific program
worked in the short term. For more information, go to the Definitions
. [Back to Top]
How
can I access the Vital Signs?
Call the Alliance
office for a copy of the newly released Vital Signs 3 or: Go
to the Indicators section of the website
to: Download Vital Signs 3 that has tables
of the Vital Signs from 2000-2003 by Community Statistical Area (CSA) and
census tract, Access the Vital Signs through the interactive
mapping system, or Download profiles of the Community Statistical
Areas you are interested in.
[Back
to Top]
How can I learn
the definitions of the Vital Signs and other data, and learn what the Vital Signs
show?
Part of the work of the Alliance is to make sure users
have a clear understanding of the indicators. You can find these explanations
in Vital Signs 3 or by accessing
the Vital Signs Explanations page
where you will find the full list of Vital Signs and more detailed descriptions
of the caveats, sources, and definitions. Also - feel free to contact the
Alliance directly. [Back
to Top] How often are the
Vital Signs updated?
The Alliance formally releases the
Vital Signs in the fall of each year. However, many updated indicators
are available before then since data come from our data providers throughout the
year. To access these updates, contact the Alliance. Periodically new information
will be available on the website. [Back
to Top] What is an indicator?
How is this different from data?
An indicator is a
measure or set of measures that helps to quantify, express, or "indicate"
progress toward a goal or outcome. Indicators tell you something. Data
are "information collected." Indicators are generally made up
of, or compare data items. They are usually expressed as rates or percents. Data
are the counts, indicators tell you something about them. Indicators put data
into context. Go the Definitions section for more
details. [Back to
Top]
How can I get help
using the Vital Signs, who is using them now and why?
Several
neighborhoods already designate indicators to track their progress over
time, many use the Vital Signs. Alliance staff work with groups to help
designate and track the indicators that show their progress and measure
the IMPACT their programs and strategies have on changing neighborhood conditions
for the long term by using a results-based approach to decision making. See
the Training section for more details. [Back
to Top] Training
and Technical Assistance Strategy
How
can I get help accessing, understanding and using data and indicators effectively?
The Alliance offers assistance to groups on how to use data in every aspect
of their neighborhood improvement work from identifying issues and setting improvement
goals, to garnering support for their activities, to designating indicators to
track progress, and celebrating success. The Alliance
also fosters using the Vital Signs and a "results-based
approach to decision making" process. The Definitions
section contains the definitions of the data items used, including how they
are compiled and what they are actually telling us. The glossary also contains
the standard definitions of terms used in reports, publications, and analysis
of data to help with interpretation. Training on understanding
and using data and indicators is provided through multiple avenues, including
workshops within already established training programs (like those conducted by
the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA), partnerships, and through
the developing "Access Points". [Back
to Top]
Does the Alliance
give training to individuals or only large groups?
Formal
trainings are performed with groups. Any individual needing
help to access or understand the Vital Signs, and data available on this
website or from our partners can call the Alliance office or walk in for help. Access
points throughout the city, including public libraries, also have helpful
staff that will assist you to access the on-line resources. [Back
to Top]
Can I get a copy
of the Alliance's Training Curriculum?
Contact the Alliance
directly. See the Training section
for more details. [Back
to Top]
How can I find the
definition of simple data terms, like rates, percents, etc?
The
Definitions section on the homepage has these
definitions available in an easy way. Or contact the Alliance. [Back
to Top] One
Stop Shop for Neighborhood Data
What
is the "One Stop Shop" for data, how does it work, and what data are
available?
The "One Stop Shop"
is the first place you can go for access to multiple data items. If
the Alliance has not posted them on the website in the Mapping
or the Indicators section, or have
them in the Alliance office, the Alliance staff will be able to steer you in the
right direction to get the answers you need. The staff can
also help with understanding what you are trying to find out, and what data you
need to answer that. The variety of data available on this
website are listed in the Data Inventory on the Mapping
section. These include U.S. Census Demographics city agency, state, and social
service data along with community information along multiple topic areas such
as housing, health , community development, sanitation, crime, families, and more. [Back
to Top]
Can
I access data about areas outside of Baltimore City?
The
Alliance currently displays data strictly from within the boundaries of Baltimore
City. However, the staff can help direct you to available sources in other areas. [Back
to Top]
Are
all the Vital Signs and other data available in tables, charts and maps?
Yes,
you can access all these items in tabular form or from the Interactive mapping
system. The Alliance and the organizations involved
use the latest in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to analyze the
data on a variety of levels, including census block group, parcel (property),
and census tract levels. Maps and Tables are then created
to display the information. GIS is a powerful tool that the Alliance staff bring
to neighborhoods.
[Back
to Top]
How
were the Community Statistical Areas devised and why?
The
Community Statistical Areas used on the maps and in the Vital Signs reports
are clusters of Baltimore neighborhoods created along census tracts, since statistical
data is generally only available at this level. This clustering
was necessary for the creation of statistical profiles, since most of the 271+
neighborhoods in Baltimore City do not have boundaries that fall along census
tracts. These boundaries were created for display and statistical purposes
only, and should not be confused with actual neighborhood boundaries.
[Back to Top]
What
is a census tract and why is it the smallest level of detail available?
Several of the data and indicators cannot be shown as individual
points or by address. These items can only be displayed by census tracts to avoid
violation of confidentiality laws. The Alliance is obligated by federal and state
law to protect the identities of those being studied (for instance, the Alliance
staff do not have access to data that reveals the names and addresses of residents
receiving Temporary Cash Assistance, only the percentage and number of cases in
a specific census tract is available.) [Back
to Top]
How
often are the data updated?
Items are updated
as often as our data providers are able to release their data, and the Alliance
staff to analyze them. Ultimately, the Vital Signs are released every year,
and we strive to make sure everything is updated at that time. [Back
to Top]
How
is the accuracy of the data verified?
The
data providers in the Alliance have developed data handling standards for quality
control and documentation purposes. Alliance staff also check data items and are
extremely careful to properly document any errors or additional considerations
for each data item.
[Back
to Top] Mapping
What
are the kinds of maps that the Alliance staff provide and how can I access them? The
Alliance staff provide two kinds of maps: - The interactive mapping
tools are used to display and disseminate data on the web site. The most detailed
level available is the census tract.
- Non-interactive maps (or static
maps) are produced to display statistical data at the census tract, communities,
zip codes, and other levels. Some are available to download from the website.
Displaying data on maps can be easier to understand,
powerful, and more usable, than charts and tables. Users can actually see where
concentrations of specific problems or successes are located relative to their
own neighborhoods. [Back
to Top]
How
do I operate the interactive mapping system?
If
you are having problems with the system, please contact
us for assistance. Or use the First Time Users guide
that is located in the Mapping section. [Back
to Top]
How
do I go from the CSA level to the census tract level on the interactive mapping
system?
Once on the Interactive Mapping
system, make sure you are on the main map, then go to the top of the green
toolbar. There is a multicolored map of Baltimore City. Choose one of those
areas in which you are interested. A second map will appear, and those delineations
are the census tracts. [Back
to Top]
How
do I print a map from the interactive mapping system?
If
you are using Internet Explorer or AOL, click on the PRINT button at the bottom
of the green toolbar. If you are using Netscape, click
on FILE and PRINT from the top of the window (the browser page) [Back
to Top]
How
does the query function work on the interactive mapping system?
Please contact the
Alliance directly for help. To use this feature, you need to have experience
in statistical analysis. The Alliance staff has provided
multiple data items and indicators so that further analysis may not be necessary. [Back
to Top] | 
