Civis Analytics, a data science firm innovating at the intersection of public good and scientific best practices, announced the launch of its cloud-based Digital Equity Intelligence Centre, a comprehensive suite of data and interactive tools enabling a precise understanding of broadband affordability, access, and adoption issues across communities.
The Digital Equity Intelligence Centre leverages Civis’s ability to create a single source of data truth, and scales the expertise of Civis’s best-in-class data analytics consulting practice, encapsulating its models in a user-friendly application. From there, teams can create specific audiences for campaign activation.
“We know we need to close the digital divide, but effective, efficient programs start with a precise understanding of who is impacted – something that’s currently lacking,” said Crystal Son, MPH, Managing Director of Government Analytics at Civis Analytics.
“We also need to look holistically at digital equity. It’s not just an access issue. Over the last few months we surveyed more than 10,000 US adults, and almost 20 per cent said they had trouble paying for the internet in the past year, and only half rated their knowledge and skills of how to use the internet ‘very strong.’ If someone can’t afford broadband, or if they don’t know how to use the internet safely, those are also problems we need to address. We built the Digital Equity Intelligence Center with these challenges in mind.”
The Digital Equity Intelligence Centre provides a library of data and models alongside an interactive map-based application, allowing teams to skip the back-end data work and get straight to identifying key audiences for outreach. Benefits of the SaaS tool include:
All the data you need, all in one place: Digital Equity Intelligence Centre combines all relevant data sources – existing data, publicly available geographic data, and Civis-modelled data – to create a single source of data truth.
The tool provides a holistic view of digital equity in a community, with data on access, affordability, and adoption.
No coding or analytics expertise required: Data analytics and models created by Civis’s data scientists are surfaced in an easy-to-use interface, so any team member can use it to understand populations of interest and then create custom lists for campaign activation.
Easy customisation with white glove support from the Civis team: Our team of analytics experts will configure the tool so it matches each organisation’s community and goals. This includes laying down key points of interest (libraries, churches) and configuring the map display to the right geographic unit (i.e. neighbourhood view vs. a county view).
The Digital Equity Intelligence Centre leverages the same Civis technology used across the country to guide campaigns for the COVID-19 vaccine and the 2020 Census, and is recognized by organisations like Fast Company and Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL). Civis technology is SOC 2 Type II certified and aligns to HIPAA controls.
“This approach is applicable to many government programs,” Son added. “With a more precise understanding of who is in need and where to reach them, government teams can proactively connect critical services with those they’re intended for.”
