Integrated Data Systems (IDS) foster social innovation by quickening the knowledge-to-practice-development cycle. Without an IDS, it can be difficult to measure how services in one domain impact outcomes in others. IDS provide a more complete account, allowing policy-makers to better address the often interconnected needs of the citizens more efficiently and effectively. IDS are also used to test social policy innovations through high speed, low-cost randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental approaches. IDS can also be used for continuous quality improvement efforts and benefit cost analysis.
IDS Uses & Benefits |
Examples |
| IDS allow government agencies to integrate various databases and bridge the gaps that have traditionally formed among them and between government agencies and community providers. | |
| Researchers can compare data across various agencies and ask probing questions about issues that have stymied public agencies’ past efforts to improve policies. | |
| Integrated data reveal patterns of risk and resilience, allowing executive leaders, policy makers, and policy analysts to design more targeted interventions and higher-impact policies. | |
Other examples of IDS Benefits:
- Los Angeles County IDS Use Example: Project 50: Ending Chronic Homelessness with Permanent Supportive Housing and Integrated Data Systems – Project 50 was a coordinated effort among multiple government agencies to provide permanent housing and supportive services to 50 of the most vulnerable chronically homeless individuals living in LA County’s Skid Row.
- South Carolina IDS Use Example: Expanding Crisis Mental Health Care Using Telepsychiatry and Integrated Data Systems
- New York City IDS Use Example: Paving the Way for a More Prosperous Future for Young Adults: Preliminary Results of an Outcomes Study of the Chelsea Foyer at the Christopher
- The Massachusetts Opioid Epidemic: A data visualization of findings from the Chapter 55 report