Understanding the Problem

Scoping is a crucial step in data projects that helps us define and outline what we want to achieve. It involves identifying the problem or question we want to solve using data analysis. Think of scoping as setting the boundaries and guidelines for our project. By clearly defining our objectives and desired outcomes, we can stay focused and make sure our efforts are effective. Scoping also helps us understand the data we need to collect, the resources we have available, and any limitations or constraints we might face.

Work Backwards

To start, begin from the end. Questions to ask yourself and your team:

• What do we want our audience to learn or take away from our data? For example, do we want our audience to understand the scale of the needs of the communities we support? Or maybe, the activities that most need funding, and why?

• Do we currently have the data to tell this story? If not, can and should we get this data? For example: Have there been historical attempts at telling this story and what do they look like?

• What voices have been excluded?

• Who stands to benefit from the data? Who might be harmed by data? How can we tell this story in a way that keeps our community safe?

• If we want to show change over time, do we have or can we collect the same data point over different time periods?

• If we want to show the difference between groups, do we have or can we safely collect information on the different groups?

• What are the project constraints? These constraints are factors that can impact the project, such as time, budget, resources, and data accessibility. For example, if we have limited time or a tight budget, we may need to collect less information. In addition, we need to take into account the lives of those providing the data as they may not have access to the platforms we’d like to use. Providing data is in itself a form of invisible labor and we must also try to make the process as non-disruptive as possible.

A few use cases...

I want to use GIS to...

• Inform my audience, providing a neutral summary of the current state of events.

• Persuade my audience in the hopes that they will feel something and take action.

• Predict an outcome.

Note: These needs have been adapted from Esri's guidance for Designing Effective Dashboards.