VT Census Case Studies : Arlington Economic Development

Brief Overall Description of the Dataset:

Arlington Economic Development has data for the following:

• Commercial Property (Troy Palma)

• Retail locations (Jill Griffin)

For a map of the the principal buildings, see: http://map.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com/

Commercial data for the county is bought through a subscription to CoStar. Data sent includes property characteristics for commercial buildings in Arlington County

Link:  http://www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com/

Date Inventory Completed: 7/14/2015

Screening

• Is the data collected opinion-based?
• Is the data collection recurring (must be collected at least annually)?
• Is there data available for 2013?
• Is the data collected at the property or housing unit level?
• Can we access the data by August 15^th?

Purpose

• What is the purpose of the organization collecting the data?

Arlington Economic Development (AED) is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of an economically competitive and sustainable community by providing aggressive leadership and superior services to Arlington’s arts and cultural community, the business community, tourism industry and real estate development.

Services provided by AED:

1.  Community development updates
2. Competitive industry trends and intelligence
3. Economic/demographic trends and business tax and analysis
4. County-sponsored research on emerging business and industry trends
5. Public brand building and exposure
6. Awards nomination and recognition opportunities
7. Meeting and conference location specialists
8. Site location and expansion facilitation
9. Benefits and incentives for eligible businesses
10. Planning, permitting, and zoning liaisons for complex projects

• Why is it collected and how does the organization use it?

The data is collected for tax, free, and/or planning purposes, depending on the specific data.

• Who else uses the data?

In raw form, the data is used throughout the county. The data also forms the basis of other commercial and federal databases.

• Who do they sell the data to?

Commercial/non profit entities who repurpose the data to create their own databases or products.

Unknown

Description

• What is the general topic of the data (1-2 words)?

Retail, commercial property

• What are the earliest and latest dates for which data is available?

Unknown

• Is data collected and available periodically?

Yes (unknown frequency)

• How soon after a reference period ends can a data source be prepared and provided? 

Unknown

Selectivity

• What is the universe (e.g., population) that the data represents?

Commercial property

Accessibility

• How is the data accessed? 

Unknown

• Is it open data?

Unknown

• Any legal, regulatory, or administrative restrictions on accessing the data source?

Nothing stated explicit. As agents of the state, we must protect the data like other county agencies.

• Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?

Unknown

Does this dataset appear to meet our needs for the Census study? YES

Full Inventory

Description

• Features
  • What is the temporal nature of the data: longitudinal, time-series, or one time point?

Longitudinal

• • Geospatial? If Yes, at what level?

Varies: address, parcel, or to census block/tract

Metadata

• Is there information available to assess the transparency and soundness of the methods to gather the data for our purposes?

Unknown

• Is there a description of each variable in the source along with their valid values?

Unknown

• Are there unique IDs for unique elements that can be used for linking data?

Unknown

• Is there a data dictionary or codebook?

Unknown

Selectivity

• What unit is represented at the record level of the data source?

Commercial/retail property

• Does this universe match the stated intentions for the data collection? If not, what has been included or excluded and why?

Unknown

• What is the sampling technique used (if applicable)? 

• What was the coverage?

Unknown

Stability/Coherence

• Were there any changes to the universe of data being captured (including geographical areas covered) and if so what were they?

Unknown

• Were there any changes in the data capture method and if so what were they? 

Unknown

• Were there any changes in the sources of data and if so what were they? 

Unknown

Accuracy

• Any known sources of error?

Unknown

• Describe any quality control checks performed by the data’s owner.

Unknown

Accessibility

• Any records or fields collected, but not included in data source, such as for confidentiality reasons)? 

Unknown

• Is there a subset of variables and/or data that is must be obtained through a separate process? If yes, is there a separate legal, regulatory, or administrative restrictions on accessing the data source? Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?

Unknown

Privacy and security

• Was consent given by participant? If so, how was consent given?

Unknown

• Are there legal limitations or restrictions on the use of the data? 

Not stated

• What confidentiality policies does the source have? 

As agents of the county, we need to treat the data like any other county employee in regards to confidentiality and security.

Research

• What research has been done with this dataset? (e.g., impact of policies, predictors of student success)

Planning, retail, sustainability, employment & industry, and public-private partnerships.

• Include any links to research if provided:

See: http://www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com/resources/reports-and-studies/

• List any other data use notes provided by the supplier.

Gaps/Concerns

• Feasibility - can all jurisdiction levels provide the data (if applicable)?
• Data ownership - a lack of clarity in legal guidance stemming from a lack of clarity with who owns digital data?
• Data collection authority - what data is reasonably private and what constitutes unwarranted intrusion?
• Describe any other notes you have or any gaps/concerns you see with this dataset: