Ds. Sawicki et Wj. Craig, THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF DATA - BRIDGING THE GAP FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS, Journal of the American Planning Association, 62(4), 1996, pp. 512-523
Community groups from low-income neighborhoods have the most to gain f
rom full access to data, yet the least capability to achieve that acce
ssor make use of the data once they have it. The gap is being filed by
intermediaries providing access to data and assistance with analysis
and policy development. These efforts are empowering community groups,
allowing them to participate fully in planning and policy discussions
that affect their neighborhoods. This paper explores the nature of th
e information providers, the services they provide to community organi
zations, and the challenges they face in doing so. Combining their exp
eriences with our view of the coming technical and societal issues all
ows us to forecast what the future might look like. We conclude that c
ommunity groups will become more self-sufficient, but will continue to
need outside expertise. Since not all community groups now have acces
s to such intermediaries, more research and development should be unde
rtaken to support the movement.