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Texas Center for Policy Studies (NPT Case Study)
Introduction
Since 1983 the Texas Center for Policy Studies has worked to bring together the people and the information necessary to ensure that growth and development in our region enhances rather than diminishes the quality of life for all citizens. TCPS concentrates its work within three program areas: Regional Growth and Development; Statewide Environmental Issues; and the Texas/Mexico Border Region.
Background
In 1995, the Texas Center for Policy Studies published the Texas Environmental Almanac, the first publication to provide a comprehensive look at the state of the state’s environment in an accessible and reader-friendly format. The Almanac provides facts, figures, historical and legislative information on the condition of Texas land, air and water, as well as the state’s energy use and waste generation. The Texas Environmental Almanac was subsequently published on-line by the Texas Environmental Center (text copies are not longer available). In May of 2000, The Texas Environmental Almanac, 2nd Edition compiled by the Texas Center for Policy Studies, was an extensive update of the original Almanac.
The objective of the pilot project was to develop an interactive "Texas Environmental Scorecard" website in partnership with Environmental Defense to provide citizens across the state with easy access to location-specific environmental information. Our initial goal was to combine the information contained in the Almanac with the highly successful Scorecard website developed by Environmental Defense. In essence, we would utilize the Environmental Defense technology to present Texas state and county-level environmental data on the web, combined with text from the Almanac.
The Texas Environmental Profiles website provides both state-level summary data, largely culled from the Texas Environmental Almanac, as well as county-level indicators from the database. Each of these county-level indicators is also summarize for state-wide totals. This information will allow a user to quickly profile the extent of environmental problem in their region. In addition, some of the county indicators can be access for more detailed information-- such as the actual names of companies and the amount of air pollutants they released, the names of endangered species in that county or the names of streams, rivers and reservoirs that have been impaired by pollution.
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TCPS Project Budget FY1999/2000
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Level of Innovation
The intent of the website was to provide quality, up-to-date environmental information to citizens, policymakers, and the media. In addition, we have specifically created a "Take Action" and "Join the Discussion" areas in the pilot version of the site. This will allow users to rapid learn about issues of utmost importance to Texas, especially those receiving current legislative or administrative attention. If they chose, the website could help them get involved in the process itself. Thus, the intent of the website was to provide general education around Texas environmental issues, but also to create links to and notices of specific ongoing policy debates in which citizens can get involved. Our basic strategy was to convert the text of the Texas Environmental Almanac, with some minor updates, into a web-accessible format. This meant creating a template for each "chapter" of the Almanac, and choosing appropriate web-friendly graphics.
In addition, we needed to design a large database structure, consisting of over 40 different state- databases, which could be used to provide citizens with county-level environmental information. For this, we utilized Microsoft Access 2000, because it is relatively simple to integrate with the web and mapping functions, and because it was widely available. Because some of the "County Indicators" we selected could also be shown graphically through state-level thematic maps, we chose ESRI's Map Objects as a convenient way to show Geographic Information System (GIS) information on the web. Like Microsoft Access, ESRI's software is easily available, widely used, and has become the industry standard.
Measures of Success
Given that the system is not up and running as of this writing, it is difficult to determine to what extent it has improved our public policy capacity. We believe, however, that it will have a significant effect. This website with its huge range of easily accessible, location-specific environmental data, will be extremely useful for increasing public awareness and understanding of Texas environmental issues. Its options for encouraging citizen action and involvement will enhance the viability of progressive policy changes. The work in designing this site has made us more cognizant of the need to take the information that we possess as environmental activist "professionals", digest it and make it available to a wider public in an easily understood and compelling format. That learning experience can only help enhance our public policy capacity.
Progress-to-date has included:
- Identification and characterization of the most important databases of Texas state agencies, and in some cases, federal agencies, for use on the website
- Development of a list of 45 county-level environmental indicators based upon these databases
- Collection of the most up-to-date environmental databases from Texas state agencies and selected federal agencies, including the Texas Water Development Board, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Railroad Commission of Texas, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Formatting the 40 databases for use with Microsoft Access
- Condensing the main "chapters" of the Texas Environmental Almanac for state-level summary information for the website
- Designing, with Environmental Defense, the basic template of the website itself; and
- Creating the template and pilot testing and pilot testing portions of the website
While we determined we did not have the financial resources to hire an additional database specialist, and instead relied on our own existing staff and interns, the present activities connected to this grant definitely moves TCPS in a positive direction by increasing our overall effectiveness. First of all, it will substantially raise our profile, both by calling attention to the Almanac, as well as to the website itself. It is easier to be effective when you are well-known. Second, it brings one of our central goals as an organization-- bringing research to the community-level-- into fruition by providing real data to people throughout the state (and beyond). Work done on other projects can constantly feed new information into the Texas Environmental Profiles website.
This project has also increased our understanding and comfort-level with appropriate technologies. In addition to the relatively simple task of converting our text-based publication into a linked web-based text, we have increased our understanding of database programs and geographic information systems, a well as the opportunity for integrating web, GIS, and database programs. It has shown the real power that some basic software can have for bringing information to the web in a user-friendly and accessible way.
Again, while it is difficult to measure the ultimate public policy impact our organization will have as a result of this project, we believe that by both raising our own profile-- as an organization bringing accurate information to the public-- as well as through the activity generated by the website itself-- we will be more effective in influencing and changing public policy in the state.
Next Steps
We are continually upgrading and seeking to improve both our technological and public policy capacity, both as an organization and in concert with other public interest organizations. For example, we have continually improved our own website in an attempt to make it easier to locate key documents or learn about our different projects.
We hope that the Texas Environmental Profiles website will continue to evolve, both with text information from our projects, as well as with better maps and graphics as we master Map Objects and other software programs.
We have also been involved in discussions with Environmental Defense, Sierra Club, and others, about how to make our action e-mail alerts sponsored by various organizations more effective. Currently, we are collaborating with Environmental Defense to generate electronic letters and faxes about issues specific to the state, and to create a new web site, to launch in February 2001, called Texas Environmental Profiles which will combine information from the current version of the Texas Environmental Almanac with environmental information from state and federal environmental databases. In this way, users will be able to obtain information on a county-level about their environmental and quality-of-life.
Lessons Learned
Our expectations were that the amount of work needed to get a working website up and running smoothly would be less than it has been, given the experience that both TCPS and Environmental Defense had with state and local environmental information, with the technology already developed for the Scorecard website, and with converting data to web-friendly accessible information. The idea of building upon and integrating with Environmental Defense's Scorecard website proved to be somewhat difficult.
First, the developers of the technology left Environmental Defense after our project was underway, although they continued to run the website. It became apparent that it was preferable for TCPS and the Texas Environmental Defense office to jointly develop a unique website ourselves, and we secured the services of an ED technology staffer who relocated from San Francisco to ED's Houston office to directly coordinate website development. Though the website will operate apart from Scorecard, it will be linked to it in order to provide information about toxic air, water and land emission and transfers at the county level. The basic approach-- user-friendly access to location-specific environmental information-- has not changed at all, though the technology and name have.
Second, as we began to look at the data itself, we determined that the possibility of providing environmental information on a zip code level was unrealistic, given our resources and the characteristics of the data itself. Most of the databases maintained by the state do not provide information on a zip code basis. Instead, we decided that it was more realistic to develop a website which could provide both state-level and county-level environmental data. Still, this provides users an incredible amount of information given the size fo the state (with over 250 countries).
Ultimately, it would be most helpful to simply share descriptions of projects and experiences of various nonprofit organizations funded to utilize technology for public policy work through e-mails or even meetings on a regular one-to-one basis, or in larger meetings, with funders, so that we can exchange information and ideas on what works and why. In particular, it is important to fund efforts to improve online mapping technologies so that users could better understand the geographic relationships among pollution, its sources and its impacts.
[This is one of five nonprofit project evaluations supported in part through OMB Watch's Nonprofits' Policy and Technology (NPT) 1999 Nonprofit Technology Pilot Projects for effective use of technology in public policy activities.]