Uses for a Real Time Well Being Data Infrastructure Pilot

As Social indicators and quality of life research has matured, one problem has persisted: the time lag between data collection and data availability (Ridzi et al 2022, Ridzi et al 2020). This has often been a problem as governments, NGOs and philanthropic organizations seek to move from data to action to improve quality of life and then seek to measure the impact of these interventions. However, recent technological innovations have offered new opportunities for monitoring individual and collective well-being. In this session I focus on the emergence of the Life Needs Assessment in New York, USA and examine how this new real-time data infrastructure built in the cloud using G-suite technology offers a role model to other communities seeking to build a low-cost (virtually free) infrastructure for well-being data collection, automated data processing, and fast tracked analysis, and reporting. Elucidating the inner workings of how this infrastructure works I then examine some of the benefits of using such a system that can be adapted to a wide range of well being conceptualizations and measures. Specifically, I examine how this real time well being data infrastructure has already been useful for community engagement, crisis response, needs assessment, participatory budgeting, participatory grantmaking, and policy advocacy. I further explore the implications for integrating this approach within a broader well being ecosystem that includes classic approaches to well being measurement.

Ridzi, Frank, Stevens, Chantal & Wray, Lyle (Eds). (2022). Community Quality-of-Life Indicators:

Best Cases IX. Switzerland: Springer. eBook ISBN 978-3-031-06940-6, Print ISBN

978-3-031-06939-0.

Ridzi, Frank, Stevens, Chantal & Davern, Melanie (Eds). (2020). Community Quality-of-Life Indicators:

Best Cases VIII. Switzerland: Springer.10.1007/978-3-030-48182-7.