Open access to data on the Internet doesn’t always mean that it’s easy to find. That’s why Liesl Eathington, director of the Iowa Community Indicators Program (ICIP), has worked to streamline what she now offers on a revamped website found at www.icip.iastate.edu.

ICIP, housed in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University, provides data resources to the general public as a means for understanding regional economic and demographic change. The center also provides data and analysis services that help inform local decision-making, policy development, and strategic planning processes.

The new site coincides with an official name change to ICIP, formerly called the Regional Economics & Community Analysis Program (ReCAP). Says Eathington, “Both of these changes reflect an effort to speed up the search process for people seeking community-level indicators for a variety of purposes.”

ICIP’s new site is easier for users to navigate, makes frequently requested items more prominent, and hones in on a smaller range of offerings. “As more data is available on more sites, there’s less need for us to try to do everything,” she says. “We want to try to help people locate things quickly, and to put things into formats that are easy to understand.”

Construction of the site is not complete, and the addition of an expanded reference section with help and other resources is yet to come. “It’s challenging to make the site keep up with the demands that people have, and the amounts and types of data that are available,” she says.

Eathington appreciates feedback on these changes, and is receptive to any direct questions through a phone call or email. “You can waste hours searching for something,” she admits. “With ICIP, there’s a person behind the site who is happy to answer your questions.”

ICIP is a coordinating agency in the State Data Center of Iowa network, part of a federal-state cooperative program providing census data and expertise to local data users. It is supported by the ISU Department of Economics, ISU Department of Sociology, and ISU Extension Community and Economic Development.