What kind of content belongs in the Data Hub?

The Massachusetts Data Hub is a collection of pages containing data published by Massachusetts’ state agencies. It makes it easier for constituents to find data your agency publishes.

Data comes in lots of forms, including tables, reports, and visualizations. If your agency publishes data, we’d love to include it in the Data Hub. Here are some examples of content containing data.

What is data?

“Data” is statistical or factual information that

• is in a list, table, graph, chart, or other non-narrative form

• may be digitally transmitted or processed

• records measurements, transactions, or determinations

• is regularly created and maintained

Data visualizations, dashboards, and data stories

• DPH published this data story on the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts

• Human Resources maintains a dashboard showing state employee demographics

• This Office of the Child Advocate data story presents context and narrative for youth arrest data

Data published in tables (either in HTML or files)

• The Bureau of Firearms Records publishes datasets on firearms licenses. Maintaining these large datasets makes responding to public records requests easier.

• The Department of Environmental Protection publishes the results of its sampling for lead in public water systems

• MassWildlife’s Black bear harvest data contains a table listing black bears taken by hunters by year and county

• The Division of Local Services publishes a table of municipal bond ratings

Data reports or “briefs”

• The Health Policy Commission publishes monthly reports on various health policy topics

• In 2014, The Bureau of Environmental Health conducted an assessment of health impacts of Logan Airport and published its results

• The Environmental Toxicology Program publishes annual reports on water quality at beaches

Data “platforms,” sites, or sets of datasets

• DOT has a website on which they publish data visualizations and datasets about vehicle crashes

• The Office of the Child Advocate has published a collection of datasets and reports on the Juvenile Justice System

• The Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences publishes a page on school immunization data, which includes data visualizations, downloadable datasets, and links to sites with additional data

List of public records that your agency maintains

Some state agencies maintain a list of records that constituents can consult. For example:

• The Board of Registration in Dentistry publishes records of disciplinary actions that they have taken

• The Division of Banks publishes a dataset on non-bank ATMS

• The Office of Emergency Medical Services maintains a list of ambulance services that operate in Massachusetts

We hope these examples give you a sense of what kinds of content appears in the Data Hub. If you’re not sure if a page or site your agency publishes belongs in the Hub, send us a ServiceNow request. You may also submit content through the Data Hub request form.

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