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SparkMap uses location-specific data to create maps, assessments, and reports that are used by businesses, nonprofits, governments, researchers, and communities to inform and transform their work. Use our collection of over 25,000 data sets for free for as long as you wish (no registration required) or subscribe to unlock advanced features and save your library of work.
CARES conducts a variety of projects in the areas of data visualization, web development, spatial analysis, data processing, and mapping. Through our projects, we have supported or partnered with Federal, state, and local governments, foundations, researchers, non-profits, and private industry to apply our skills and resources to a wide variety of issues and topics. The results of these projects help create a better informed world through published results, publically accessible data and tools, or direct support to decision makers.
Here are selected examples of current and recent projects:
Missouri Food Finder
The Missouri Food Finder is a new online tool that easily connects Missouri consumers with the people who are growing and selling locally produced food in their region. Farmers, growers, and local suppliers can enter basic information about the food they sell, their hours, location and contact information. That information will automatically show up on a Missouri map. Consumers simply type in their location to see what options are available in whatever geographically searchable area they select.
CARES has published a number of resources that use real-time and national secondary source data to highlight the impact of COVID-19. Visit the Engagement Network's COVID-19 page to view national data including: case counts and fatalities, vulnerability reports, hospital bed information and more.
Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia: Disparities and Bright Spots is an innovative research initiative sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and administered by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. This multi-part health research project measures population health and documents disparities in health outcomes in the Appalachian Region compared to the United States as a whole, as well as disparities within the Appalachian Region; identifies “Bright Spots,” or communities that exhibit better-than-expected health outcomes given their resources; and explores a sample of the Bright Spot communities through in-depth, field-based case studies. Taken together, these reports will provide a basis for understanding and addressing health issues in the Appalachian Region.
All Things Missouri is an online gateway to maps, data, reports, and resources to help professionals address the three grand challenges that emerged as focal points from the University of Missouri Extension's 2017 listening tour: Economic opportunity, Healthy futures, and Educational access and excellence. The portal is designed to support decision-makers in accessing, analyzing, and visualizing data to inform better and more data-driven strategies. The goal of All Things Missouri is to support a variety of sectors – business, industry, local and state organizations, nonprofits, governments, researchers, and Extension staff – to understand community needs and allocate resources.
The U.S. News Healthiest Communities rankings measure health-related components of society with the aim of empowering citizens, health care leaders, and officials to make decisions about policies and practices that can improve health outcomes for all. Guided by a pioneering framework developed by a committee appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the project scores nearly 3,000 counties on approximately 80 indicators across 10 categories that drive health outcomes.