What Happened?
Law enforcement and healthcare professionals in Camden are launching a data sharing platform to better study the overlap between public safety and medical care and identify areas for greater cooperation.
Goal
The Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers in Pennsylvania will soon be able to access data from a variety of public networks including the criminal justice system and housing. These networks area already accessible to law enforcement officials to help with cases and prevention. The healthcare providers will use this new information to gain a comprehensive picture of patients’ lives and determine the root causes of certain recurring problems, Philly.com reported.
Funded by nonprofit social justice groups, the data sharing platform will enable healthcare providers to combine information from medical records with data in other public networks in partnership with the Camden Police Department. After studying the different data sets, healthcare professionals and law enforcement officials will write up a report with recommendations on how to address health and safety needs throughout the community – specifically where new funding should be allocated to develop and deploy these solutions, Philly.com reported.
The overall goal is to create a data-driven model for identifying community problems, testing solutions and sharing best practices with other organizations throughout Camden. By tapping into the data sets of all public networks, the healthcare and law enforcement participants hope to reduce inefficiencies with more accurate assessments of needs and solutions, Philly.com reported.
Uber Knows How To Share
The city of Boston is also leveraging a data sharing strategy to improve the quality of life for residents. Ridesharing company Uber has agreed to share its passengers’ trip data to help urban planners reduce traffic congestion. Boston will receive granular reports of Uber trips, excluding rider personal information, so the city can develop data-driven solutions to ease congestion. The reports will include:
- Date
- Time
- Zip code
- Duration
Urban planners can analyze trends in rider behavior and preferences to determine where more public transportation options are needed and other ways to cut down on car volume and emissions, ABC News reported.
Value of Traffic Data
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University and other institutions are analyzing traffic data from a variety of sources including smartphones, cab companies, city sensors and cameras. By tracking the movement of vehicles throughout a city, the researchers hope to better understand how individual residents navigate the community and interact with infrastructure and resources. In this vein, traffic data offers deeper insight into urban needs than just how to ease traffic, Next City reported.
Understanding the core causes of traffic volumes based on resident behaviors, preferences and needs can assist urban planners in deciding the best method of deploying public services such as:
- Snow plows
- Evacuation procedures
- Ambulance response routes
- Congestion pricing
- Impact of new developments
- Viability of commercial districts
Not only does the real-time data help support immediate decision making, but it can also illustrate changes in residential behavior over longer periods of time. Identifying major shifts in community movement and engagement will help city planners develop projects to meet evolving needs of key demographics, Next City reported.
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