Data Tools

Here are some useful tools for finding and working with ag and food systems data. Please note some of these are restricted to members of the Cornell community, and may require logging in with your Cornell netid.

  • Community Commons provides public access to thousands of meaningful data layers that allow mapping and reporting capabilities so you can thoroughly explore community health.
  • The Community Platform from the National Center for Charitable Statistics  (NCCS) combines data with maps and other tools to help communities and nonprofit organizations work together more effectively.
  • DataFerrett -Developed and supported by the US Census Bureau, DataFerrett is a data analysis and extraction tool, allowing users to locate and repurpose federal, state, and local data to suit their requirements, including the creation of graphs or maps.
  • DataUp -An open source tool that helps researchers document, manage, and archive their tabular data.
  • Debategraph is a web-based, interactive/collaborative visualization tool, supporting brainstorming and dialogue around complex issues. It can be used to develop concept maps and support greater understanding of connections between issues and players involved.
  • Economic Profile System –Human Dimensions Toolkit Made freely available by Headwaters Economics, an independent, nonprofit research group, EPS-HDT is a free, easy-to-use software application that runs in Excel and produces detailed socioeconomic reports of communities, counties, states, and regions. It uses published statistics from a variety of U.S. federal data sources.
  • Free GIS Tools Mann Library offers a list of free Geospatial Information Systems tools on its CUGIR data repository site
  • Google has a variety of useful tools for creating, sharing and using data, including:
    • Fusion Tables is an experimental data visualization web application for gathering, visualizing, and sharing larger data tables. Features include the ability to
      • filter and summarize large date tables,
      • create a chart, map, network graph, or custom layout  and embed or share it.
      • Data is automatically saved and stored in Google Drive, enabling sharing.
      • Combine with other tables, including data elsewhere on the web to generate a single visualization that includes both sets of data.
      • Find public data to combine with your own for a better visualization.
      • Host data online, enabling viewers located anywhere to produce charts or maps from it. Offer developers an API or accessing the data instantly.
    • Google Apps Offers a variety of tools for creating, managing and sharing data and documents. Apply for an account (free to nonprofits and educational instututions), and gain access to all these integrated tools, with greater storage and other features
    • Google Charts Interactive tools that can be used to create and present graphics on websites linked to live data.
    • Google Maps Engine -Layer your data on top of Google’s base map and create your own maps and geospatial applications
  • IMPLAN–IMPLAN provides economic impact assessment data, tools and services that are designed to meet a variety of skills and needs. It is commonly used to assess the economic impact of local food systems (see papers below for examples)
    • Measuring Economic Impacts – Some IMPLAN Examples from the Field, Northeast Beginning Farmer Learning Network Meeting, Latham, NY. 30 September 2011. (Available from Cornell Small Farms program as part of their Trainer's Toolbox, for assessing the Economic Impact of Beginning Farmers).
  • LocalFoodSystems.org offers a variety of useful tools for exploring and mapping local and regional food "Business Ecosystems", including Business Cluster Mapping, helping entrepreneurs work together to grow businesses rooted in agriculture. Serving also as a platform for social learning and exchange, several user groups may also be relevant for posting and discussing specific data needs.
  • New Venture Advisors Toolsite -Includes MarketSizer® and HubSizer® tools useful for those starting a local food business or conducting a food system assessment who want to evaluate markets, and capabilities needed to address demand.
  • OpenRefine (formerly known as Google Refine) is a free tool for working with messy data, cleaning it up, transforming it from one format into another, and enhancing/combining it with data from web services (e.g. Freebase)
  • Progressive Agricultural Rankings New Leaf Associates [publishers of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD)], has created a tool for ag. and food system practitioners to gauge how progressive their agricultural community is.
  • Silk lets you create interactive websites helping answer questions with your data by creating overviews and visualisations. Nice blog post on the power of information, and visualizations to help understand and address complex problems, including public health.
  • SimplyMap -A web-based mapping application that lets users quickly create professional-quality thematic maps and reports using demographic, business, and marketing data for the United States. Reports include Standard Report -Create a table comparing multiple variables across several locations. Ring Study Report Create a demographic analysis of a target area based on 1, 3 and 5 miles radius around a location. Location Analysis Report View & compare data for all counties in a state, zip codes in a city, census tracts in county, etc. (Cornell users only).
  • Social Explorer -Online research tool designed to provide quick and easy access to modern and historical census data and demographic information. Create fast, intuitive, and illustrative maps and reports to help visually analyze and understand demography and social change throughout history. Tell a Story with Data - Create multi-map presentations with the interactive slideshow tool for in-depth comparisons and story-telling. Annotate presentations to communicate your findings. (Cornell users only)
  • SoilWeb: An Online Soil Survey Browser -Online soil survey data services from UC Davis, including phone apps. Can be used to access NRCS-NCSS 1:24,000 scale detailed soil survey data (SSURGO) in many parts of the lower 48 states.
  • Spatial Analysis & Mapping resources are also listed on the Mann Library Local & Regional Food Systems Guide.
  • Tableau Public is a free tool for telling interactive data driven stories on the web. You’ll be able to connect to data, create interactive data visualizations and publish them directly to your website. Several other products are also available.
  • VisualizingData.com has an extensive list of visualization resources here.
  • Weave is a web-based visualization platform designed to enable visualization of any available data. Developed at the Institute for Visualization and Perception Research (IVPR) of the University of Massachusetts Lowell in partnership with the Open Indicators Consortium.

NYS Data Tools

  • Cornell Program on Applied Demographics, (PAD) offers a variety of data resources, including tools for creating maps and charts from demographic, social, economic and agricultural data. County and sub-county profiles are available, providing details on current conditions, trends and projections. They include agricultural information on number of farms and land in farms, farm operator characteristics, types of crop, and estimated acreage by crop. A beta interface for accessing New York Agricultural and Food System Data is available.
  • New York MarketMaker Interactive mapping system that locates businesses and markets of agricultural products in New York, providing an important link between producers and consumers. Includes variety of tools, including for mapping consumers by food preferences/expenditures, and processing facilities.
  • New York State Open Data Portal provides an extensive index of local, state and federal data in one place, with charts, maps and other resources searchable by location or keyword, including NYS "food", NYS "agriculture", or category, e.g. economic development. Every dataset in the data catalog also are made available via APIs (Application Programming Interface), enabling direct access to and reuse of the data elsewhere, including other web sites.