Wichita State University’s Public Policy and Management Center (PPMC) announced today the launch of the Kansas Data Trust, a new statewide, university-based initiative designed to bring data together from multiple sources to better understand issues, understand impact, and strengthen evidence to inform decisions to improve the health of communities across the state.

Led by the PPMC, the Kansas Data Trust serves as a trusted platform for responsibly bringing information together across public agencies, nonprofit organizations and researchers to help paint a more complete picture of the challenges facing Kansans and the progress that’s being made.

“We need a way to connect data across systems to make progress and understand the impact of resources on issues like education, workforce, health and housing,” said Misty Bruckner, director of the Public Policy and Management Center. “These big challenges impacting our state are interconnected, but the data is not. The Kansas Data Trust provides a safe way to bring data together to help understand these issues, the impact of our investments, and ultimately how we can better use evidence to inform decisions and investments.”

The Kansas Data Trust:

• Breaks down data silos
• Provides stronger evidence to support decision-making
• Allows for smarter use of public and community resources
• Ensures privacy-protected insights
• Delivers a clearer understanding of what works

Across the country, communities are connecting data to better understand complex challenges and improve outcomes.

In Iowa, experts looking into child welfare, education and health data determined that children in protective services were falling behind due to a lack of access to early childhood education – leading the state to implement policy changes aimed at closing the gap.

In Colorado, similar data revealed that the state’s foster children who frequently changed schools were negatively impacted, resulting in the state increasing transportation services so that children could stay in the schools of origin. By learning from these efforts, the Kansas Data Trust is building a system for Kansas that supports stronger decisions and healthier communities statewide.

“As an assistant city manager for the City of Wichita, I see how difficult it can be to make informed decisions when governments and their partners operate in isolation with limited data. The Kansas Data Trust will help agencies across the state securely connect data across systems, enabling communities to deliver results that matter to the people we serve,” said Donte Martin, co-chair of the Kansas Data Trust board of trustees and assistant city manager for the City of Wichita.

“Kansas communities face challenges that don’t exist in isolation. The Kansas Data Trust will build on existing data systems, securely linking information across sectors so policymakers have the full picture to take action to address complex, cross-cutting issues,” said Kari Bruffett, co-chair of the Kansas Data Trust board of trustees and president and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute.

Kansas Data Trust was made possible through a three-year Impact and Opportunity Grant from the Kansas Health Foundation and additional support from Information Network of Kansas and the Knight Foundation Fund at the Wichita Foundation.

“In order for Kansas to lead the nation in health, we need a clear understanding of the current landscape, including the data that's so important in decision making,” said Ed O'Malley, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation. “These efforts to collect and curate that data will be critical to the long-term health and prosperity of our state.”

The Kansas Data Trust is overseen by a team of experts committed to ensuring that every project is legally sound, ethically grounded and designed to deliver the information decision-makers need. As a university-based initiative, the Kansas Data Trust serves as a neutral partner focused on the public good, transparency and long-term impact.

To learn more about how the Kansas Data Trust can help organizations across the state, visit KansasDataTrust.org.

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry- and defense-funded engineering R&D and No. 9 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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