Giving Compass' Take:

· This report from Urban Institute focuses on data quality and using collected information to drive programming and measure results. 

· Why is data quality so important? How is data gathered and used today?

· Check out these seven layers of data collection and management for smart cities. 

Data quality has received much attention in the business community, but nonprofit service providers have not had the same tools and resources to address their needs for collecting, maintaining, and reporting high-quality data. While high-quality data can help improve outcomes, poor-quality data can do harm. This brief provides a basic overview of data quality management principles and practices that Promise Neighborhoods and other community-based initiatives can apply to their work. It is intended for people who collect and manage data within their Promise Neighborhood (whether directly or through partner organizations) and those who need to use those data to make decisions, such as program staff and leadership.

Read the full article about data quality byPeter A. Tatian, Benny Docter, and Macy Rainer at Urban Institute.