October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 58

DATA
Creating Meaning With Data
A key point to remember at the
outset is data by itself does not
carry
specific
meaning. When
data is collected, organized, analyzed
and interpreted in relation
to the question being answered,
that
information conveys logical
meaning. In other words, having
mounds of data available, or even
gathered, does not automatically
turn into anything important or usable.
It needs to be examined and
represented in a manner capable of
producing meaningful insights and
actions. There are three guiding
steps for translating such information
into meaningful insights and
data stories.
Let's use a real-life example to
show how an agency can progress
through these steps. An agency is
interested in improving its service
delivery for residents with disabilities.
The data focus is identifying
gaps in facilities and programs for
individuals with disabilities across
the lifespan.
Step One:
Collect and organize data. Data
for this example can be gathered
in one or two ways: (1) from existing
sources, such as databases
(U.S. Census), to determine the
number of individuals with disabilities
in the county or using the
agency's existing recording system
to identify the number of programs
and participation rates that
draw individuals with disabilities;
and (2) agency-performed methTo
produce meaningful
insights and actions, data
needs to tell a story.
ods, such as surveys, focus groups
or community engagement events,
to discover the preferred services
for residents with disabilities. For
both, it is important to use trustworthy
sources and correctly performed
methods so the data collected
is of quality. Remember,
agencies may not need to collect
any new data; there are unlimited
existing sources (e.g., NRPA, the
CDC, Trust for Public Land) and
software programs (recreation
management software) now available
to park and recreation professionals.
Collected
data should be grouped
into categories or arranged in a
table to make it easier to analyze.
Continuing with the example,
collected data would be organized
58 Parks & Recreation | O CTOBER 2 0 2 3
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G

October 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2023 - Parks & Recreation

October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 1
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 2
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 3
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 4
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 5
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 6
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 7
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 8
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 9
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10a
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10b
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 11
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 12
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 13
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 14
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 15
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 17
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 18
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 19
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 20
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 21
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 22
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 23
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 25
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 26
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 27
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 28
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 29
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 30
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 31
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 32
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 33
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 34
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 35
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 36
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 37
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 38
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 39
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 40
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 41
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 42
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 43
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 44
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 45
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 46
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 48
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 50
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 51
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 52
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 53
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 54
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 55
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 56
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 57
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 58
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 59
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 60
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 61
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 62
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 63
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 64
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 65
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 66
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 67
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 68
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 69
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 70
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 71
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 72
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 73
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 74
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 75
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 76
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 77
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 78
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 79
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 80
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
October 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com