What kinds of operations-enhancing questions have cities asked and answered with data and analytics? The catalog below is an ongoing, regularly-updated resource for those interested in knowing what specific use cases can be addressed using more advanced data and analysis techniques.
For examples that are currently being implemented in cities across the country, you can click to expand the question to see additional information about the solution. All other examples represent potential questions that cities could work to address with data and analytics.
We welcome further submissions to the list by email. Submissions can include either current examples of how cities are addressing specific operational or policy issues with data, or ideas for how to address issues that you hope cities will one day be able to answer.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
- What is the impact of providing an additional service(s) to a client already receiving one city service?
- Who is most likely to apply for a city service(s)?
- Which clients are most likely to apply for multiple services?
- When clients apply for / obtain multiple services, which service do they typically apply for first?
- Can we forecast the number of caseloads for city services?
- How do we help clients leaving the criminal justice system, foster care, homeless shelters, etc. get and keep jobs?
- Which clients coming out of the juvenile justice, criminal justice, foster care, homeless services, or substance abuse systems who are placed in employment are most likely to return to city services?
- Which interventions are most effective?
- Which individuals and families are most at risk of returning to the homeless services system?
- Which individuals and families placed into permanent housing are most at risk of returning to the homeless services system?
- Which public housing residents are most likely to be placed into employment?
- Which city services have the greatest impact on reducing entry into homeless shelters?
- Which client characteristics indicate that a client will leave a homeless shelter without a subsidy?
- Which clients would benefit the most from housing services?
INFRASTRUCTURE
- How can we prioritize tree trimmings and removals?
- How can we reduce outage rates for agency fleet without purchasing new vehicles? Under what circumstances do outages take place most frequently?
- How can we reduce accidents involving city vehicles? Where and when do most accidents involving city vehicles occur?
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- How can we better predict where will the next major pavement failure will be?
- How can we better predict where the next major street light cable failure will be?
- Can we predict what areas have more open hydrants?
- Where should snow removal happen first?
- Which intersections are likely to be blocked, and when?
- Which indicators can help to identify areas with the greatest amounts of idling?
- Under what circumstances do residents throw recyclables in the trash instead of in recycling bins (and how can we mitigate this in order to increase recycling diversion rates)?
- What are the current refuse locations in the city? Which receive the highest amount of complaints?
PUBLIC SAFETY
- Which offenders are most at risk of committing domestic violence?
- Which service(s) offered to juvenile delinquents have the greatest impact in reducing recidivism?
- Can we use historical 911 and 311 call volumes to adequately staff and schedule their call floors, at various times of the day/week/month/year?
- How can we anticipate where vulnerable people will need help evacuating?
- Can we identify power outages in real time and coordinate emergency services’ response?
- Can crowdsourced information be used to improve the delivery of pest control services?
REGULATION
- Can we determine where unsafe housing problems are unlikely to be reported through 311?
- How can we use analytics to prioritize accessibility inspections for building alterations, and make sure they are compliant with municipal building code and state accessibility requirements?
- Who is most likely to be guilty of financial crimes and fraud?
- How can inspectors reduce response time to maintenance complaints?
- How can we prioritize annual elevator safety inspections? For example, can we predict or identify which elevators pass every year and could be outsourced to a 3rd party?
- Which construction / renovation projects are the highest risk / should be inspected first?
- Which buildings are the highest risk / should be inspected first?
- Which equipment (such as boilers, elevators, cranes, vehicles, etc.) is the highest risk / should be inspected first?
- What variables affect inspector productivity and which can be most easily influenced? What distinctions can be made between inspectors who complete a high number of inspections and those who are at the bottom end?
- Based on the relationship between inspections and violations, what building inspection regimens are most effective at preventing violations from occuring?
- How many inter-agency inspections are conducted each year? Do they effectively detect current violations?
- Which city debts are least likely to be paid?
- Which taxpayers are least like to pay?
- What city blocks need more inspection enforcement?
- Which businesses are most likely to be violating weights and measures?
- How can we tap social media for information on illegal businesses?
- What property owners, architects, developers, businesses and landlords need more regulatory enforcement?
- How can we use social media to ensure licenses are conducting legal business?
- Can we predict which stores sell cigarettes to youth?
- How can we target stores that sell outdated food or expired baby formula?
- Does the order of inspections (building, health, or fire) increase the rate of violation?
This post has been updated over time with additional examples.
