The Division of Data, Planning, and Improvement (DPI) within the department creates and shares state data assets, and promotes data analytics across state government to improve decision making. We strive to provide accurate, timely and actionable information to achieve better outcomes for Iowans.
February 2025
Data Snapshot
This month's data snapshot highlights two new data literacy videos made available by the Virginia ODGA, and new federal guidelines released on generative AI and open data.
Are you interested in improving your ability to read, analyze, create and talk about data in context? The following video series will help you make sense of the numbers in our daily lives. By the end of this series, you will be able to:
Define foundational statistical concepts
Explain different methods for visualizing data
Locate publicly available datasets
Recognize ethical issues that can occur when collecting and interpreting data
Analyze data to make decisions
Click the playlist icon in the top right corner of the viewer to access and jump to other episodes in the data literacy series.
Data literacy series brought to you by Arizona State University and Crash Course.
DPI manages the enterprise data platform which allows state users to create, publish and update private, internal, and public data assets. Public content is federated to the open data platform.
DPI provides a justice system information clearinghouse for justice system officials, the legislature, and the general public. Iowa’s Justice Data Warehouse (JDW) is a central repository of key criminal and juvenile justice information received from the Judicial Branch, Department of Corrections, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The mission of the JDW is to provide the justice information to system officials, the legislature, and the general public, and to provide decision-makers with improved statistical information about justice system activities.
Adult Criminal and Juvenile Delinquency Data Requests
DPI receives requests from a variety of individuals and agencies needing statistics on adult criminal and juvenile delinquency data. As a convenience to these individuals and the public, the DPI has two separate web-based applications where that data can be accessed:
Results for both sites are provided in aggregated tables which are cross-tabulated. For justice data inquiries where the sites are insufficient, our team of researchers and data analysts can assist with these more specific data requests from other agencies, media, and the public.
Iowa Integrated Justice (formerly named CJIS or Criminal Justice Information System) is a real-time data exchange system for critical data that needs to be shared among state, county, and local Iowa agencies. IIJ was created to increase efficiency and improve public safety, and performs nearly 1 million separate, secure data transfers between state and local agencies every month. IIJ performs data exchanges for:
Law Enforcement: 259 local police departments, 99 county sheriffs, the Iowa State Patrol, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Public Safety.
Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys: The Office of the Attorney General, 67 County Attorneys, and the State Public Defender.
Other State Agencies including the Department of Corrections, Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of State.
Below are frequently asked questions about the data & analytics.
Predictive and prescriptive data analytic techniques that projects what is going to happen in the future, and what could be done to create better outcomes.
Descriptive and diagnostic data analytic techniques that tell what is happening now, what happened in the past to get to the current state, and why it happened.
The process of analyzing, interpreting, and communicating data to create useful information that drives decisions and actions. Data analytics includes both business analytics and business intelligence.
A cycle that includes five stages: capture (gathering raw data), maintain (taking the raw data, cleaning it, and putting it into a form that can be used), process (examining the data and determining how it can be used for analysis), analyze (performing the analyses on the data), and communicate (creating easily readable forms - charts, graphs and reports).
Qualitative, quantitative and descriptive variables that are collected, created, and maintained by state agencies as part of carrying out state business.
State data that have been cleaned, corrected and transformed for more suitable processing, and analyzed and/or reported to create useful information about operational characteristics or ambient conditions. State data assets provide the ability to communicate results, monitor issues or problems, control processes and manage performance, improve operational effectiveness and efficiency, and/or facilitate actionable insights. Examples of data assets would include datasets, visualizations, measures, reports, forecasts, models, stories, dashboards, etc.
State agencies should publish data to:
Improve the public’s understanding of the cost and purpose of government services.
Improve governmental accountability and public participation.
Leverage data held by different agencies by connecting datasets and finding new insights.
Eliminate redundancies by allowing the access of data in one place.
Improve decision making by better informing people with data.
Create more efficient and proactive process for open records requests.
Encourage innovative ideas (e.g., web applications) that enhance the lives of our citizens.
Increase economic activity by generating new and rich content through new applications and services.
