DATA CoLab - PhilaDAO Data Dashboard
Building Bridges Between Data and Community Through Place-Based and Data-Driven Collaboration
Vision
The DATA CoLab is a data-informed community engagement initiative. Created by the Philadelphia District Attorneys Transparency Analytic Lab (DATA Lab), the CoLab provides community-based organizations with the access, education, and skills to utilize data to improve and inform their programming and advocacy efforts within their communities. Our partners work in the places most impacted by violence and other pressing issues, we support them.
Core Values
The DATA CoLab is led by the following guiding core values:
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Transparency
Our unwavering dedication to openness, integrity, and accountability guides each stage of data collection, analysis, and sharing -
Data-Driven Education
We work closely with community-based organizations to make data and research more accessible -
Community-Informed
Our commitment lies in fostering community-led initiatives, driven by the insights and needs of community members -
Cultural Humility
We continuously strive to promote self-awareness and accountability within ourselves, acknowledging and respecting the diverse cultural backgrounds and perspectives of the communities we engage -
Collaboration
Through equitable partnerships, we embrace a unified approach to connecting data with communities and action
DATA CoLab Initiative at a Glance
Overview
The DATA CoLab prioritizes intentional collaboration through partnership with community-based organizations (CBOs). The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO) applied for and received a $1.7 million grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to implement the CoLab model. Our eight community partners will each receive $70,000, for a total of over $500,000 to CBOs through this initiative.
Our approach is interdisciplinary and informed by community-based participatory strategies through place-based, community-led, and data-informed principles. We recognize that reducing gun violence is a public health and racial justice issue. This urgency is evident in the disproportionate impact on Black people and other people of color, who experience higher rates of gun violence as victims and arrestees. Due to the social, racial, and geographic stratification of the city, we employ a place-based strategy with the selection of Germantown, West Philly, Kensington, and Southwest Philly.
To achieve the priorities of the initiative and enhance trust and collaboration between the DAO and all communities impacted by gun violence in Philadelphia, the DATA CoLab has the following objectives:- Democratize Data and Enhance Transparency to Build Trust While the DAO has taken leaps to increase transparency in the criminal legal system through its Public Data Dashboard, more direct engagement with community members is necessary to build fundamental trust. Under this program, we will build on this first step by partnering directly with CBOs, providing raw data, analysis, and technical assistance using participatory research methods designed to inform the organization’s work and identify opportunities for collaboration.
- Strengthen Analysis and Policymaking to Respond to Community Needs DATA CoLab will offer community stakeholders opportunities to share insights and ideas related to data dissemination, translation, and areas of community interest. Insights will be shared with DAO staff and the DATA Lab to check assumptions on data and research questions and ensure that our research, data, and policy conversations are responsive to community needs and concerns.
- Decrease Incidents of Crime and Gun Violence By partnering with community organizations focused on community support, crime prevention, and individual empowerment, DATA CoLab allows the DAO to meaningfully support on-the-ground interventions and enhance organizational capacity through data, regional coordinator(s), and monetary support. As the DAO and community partners develop community-specific interventions, guided by data and analysis, we expect incidents of violent crime to decrease.
- Enhance Supports and Programming for Communities Impacted by Crime DATA CoLab creates a pipeline for a government agency to provide actionable, data-informed tools and supportive funding to community partners, prioritizing investment in communities as a key solution to violent crime. Historically, the criminal legal system in Philadelphia has punished individuals as perpetrators of crime – even if they have previously been victims – rather than uplifted communities. This has led to a cycle of poverty, trauma, and mass incarceration and supervision. DATA CoLab shifts this paradigm, focusing on system-involved communities rather than individuals. In this conceptualization, intervention evaluations will be focused on the community as the unit of analysis to understand the impact of the intervention on the community as a whole.