Why the Chelan Douglas Trends Network?
Our Goal: To Democratize Data
Chelan Douglas Trends seeks to improve local, public decision making by providing relevant data in an easily navigable website. The data are offered as neutral information for all parties involved in public policy issues.
More specifically, the goals are:
To collect and share a broad spectrum of information to support informed decision making by individual community members, governmental policy makers, non-governmental organizations, businesses, researchers and the press. To benchmark Chelan Douglas Trends against Washington State trends or other comparable communities to better understand our strengths and opportunities. To enable analysis of these trends. Our Approach
One of the challenges of developing the Chelan Douglas Trends site is the regional nature of the many communities we serve. Over 200 community volunteers participated in 16 focus groups to determine the top indicators in each category. In determining which data sets would be used, the following guidelines were followed:
Selected by members of the community Valid measurements defined by good science and social science Can be benchmarked to Washington State trends or similar sized communities Available repeatedly over time to allow trend analysis Sourced from credible sites Chelan Douglas Trends is Not
A community indicators site with the objective of ranking the most pressing needs within Chelan & Douglas Counties. The objective of the Chelan Douglas Trends is to collect and publish relevant data for the benefit of our communities. We leave it up to the citizens to access and apply the information according to their individual value judgment. A community dashboard that gives a ranking to each data series as to its importance and whether the trend is positive or negative. A pre-determined set of data to promote certain views about Chelan & Douglas Counties. A way to provide strategies to deal with issues identified by the data. A Process, Not a Product
The Chelan Douglas Trends initiative is as much a process as a product. Focus groups around each trend category continue to meet to determine opportunities for improvement and community goal setting based on real time data. We encourage you to get involved in your community! Please take advantage of our feedback box to give us your thoughts and help us to continue to improve this site!
About the Site Development Team
The Development Team is a cooperative effort of two groups from Eastern Washington University (EWU): The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis and the Center for Digital Media Design and Development. The team members in these two programs are responsible for the overall development of the Chelan Douglas Trends project.
The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis (IPPEA)
The IPPEA is a program within EWU's College of Business and Public Administration. The IPPEA gathered the statistical data and developed the content of this site. They have also created two other similar indicator websites for Spokane County and Walla Walla County.
The IPPEA's Director is Dr. Patrick Jones. Sarah Reynolds is the Project Coordinator for IPPEA's Community Indicators Initiative. Her responsibilities include Chelan Douglas Trends Network as well as the projects for Spokane and Walla Walla. Mark Wagner is the Institute's Data Analyst. Mark is responsible for all of the statistical input on this site, as well as for the IPPEA's two other sites. Chari Evans and Marvin Lehman are the Institute's Student Economic Research Interns, and assist with the collection and analysis of the site's data.
The Center for Digital Media Design and Development
The Center for Digital Media Design and Development is a collaborative extension of EWU's Departments of Computer Science and Engineering & Design. Development projects for campus and off-campus clients give students the opportunity to apply their skills in a real-world experience. Students are coordinated into on-going teams based on their skills, and are guided by a formal scope of work, concept development, style sheet, and structured goals, while under faculty supervision.
The Center is directed by Dr Linda Kieffer (509-359-7093) and Dr James Braukmann (509-359-2437).
The goal of a university is the graduation of its students; therefore, our team is constantly changing as our students graduate.
Design Team:
Heather Bakker, Current Designer - Heather is a Visual Communication Design major. When not designing, Heather teaches swimming and lifeguards at the EWU pool.
Rachel Clabaugh, Current Designer - Rachel is a Visual Communication Design major. Rachel volunteers at her church and other local organizations and enjoys spending time with her husband and family.
Kate Yates, Previous Designer - Kate graduated winter 2008 with a BA in Visual Communication Design. Kate also directed and coached the EWU Dance Force dance team while at Eastern.
Programming Team:
Kandy Moore, Student Project Manager and Current Programmer - Kandy graduated in June 2006 with a BA in Computer Science/ multimedia and Web programming option. She is currently a graduate student at Eastern and plans to complete her master's degree in summer 2009.
Melissa Mewhinney, Current Programmer - Melissa is a Computer Science/Multimedia Major. In her spare time, Melissa is an avid horsewoman.
Bryan Hilmer, Previous Programmer - Bryan graduated in June 2006 with a BA in Computer Science/multimedia and Web programming option. He is employed in the Seattle area as a web programmer.
