Title: A Web-based State Issues Management System for Enhancing the Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment (CCNA) Phase II

Project Description: The Missouri Community Action Agencies are charged with recognizing and dealing with the problems of poverty in our state. A critical tool used by the Community Action Agencies to better understand current local conditions is the Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment (CCNA). This assessment relies on key sources of information gathered from a variety of sources used to determine need in each region across the state. The assessments are conducted periodically, and have served to support the development of plans of action. However, the Missouri Association for Community Action (MACA) believes there are ways to improve the quality and timeliness of these assessments and, at the same time, reduce the burdens of compilations currently placed on regional staff. The University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) is well positioned to jointly address the subject of improving CCNAs. CARES routinely deals with the data collected in the assessments, possess the technical skills to support an innovative approach to CCNAs, and are familiar with the issues addressed

Project Goals:

• Update and maintain currently available data. CARES staff will acquire updated datasets from sources utilized in the Phase I project and integrate these datasets into the CARES database engine. These datasets come in varying formats that will require staff time to manipulate in order to be used in the MACA tool.
• Integrate additional “High Priority” datasets that are not currently in the CARES database engine. CARES and MACA staff will coordinate on identifying these datasets based on Phase I documentation and current MACA needs.
• Implement a login system with username and password for all MACA tool users. MACA staff will have control over the administration of user accounts (i.e., when to delete accounts or set an expiration date). CARES staff will create a “demo” username and password so MACA staff can allow interested public users to have temporary access to the system.
• Investigate a prototype dynamic report that includes thematic maps (the current CCNA report does not include thematic maps).
• Investigate on-line reporting to support Head Start data entry. The data entered by agencies will be reflected in dynamically generated CCNA reports.