Innovation

Did you know that despite the national recession, the economic news in Pittsburgh is brighter than in other parts of the country? Click here.

Did you also know that Pittsburgh experienced yet another year of increases in housing values during a recessionary period triggered by a major slump in the housing industry? Click here.

Get the stats on this and more at PittsburghToday, an online source of solid statistics. Now the website is easier than ever to use, having recently undergone a redesign to boost user friendliness and social media connectivity. What started as a list of ideas to improve the site for the G-20 has resulted in a handier online tool for anyone who wants to better understanding the region.

The whole idea is to facilitate a more informed civic dialog through timely and accurate statistics.

"We've always had good traffic from policy makers, leaders and media people," explains Halley Martin, data analyst for PT and 3 Rivers Connect. "We wanted to make the presentation better, add more commentary and attract more hits."

PittsburghToday was retooled with the help of 3rc, deeplocal and Active Interface. We wanted the site to be as ubiquitous as possible, accessible by cell phone from anywhere, adds John Craig, president of the Pittsburgh Regional Indicators Project. The result is greater versatility.

"You can make a Powerpoint with this stuff, take it and use it any way you want," he says.

Among the new features is an improved navigation bar on each Indicator page, Explore by Map and Explore by Indicator pages, a connection to social media sites, a library of documents and PT quarterly reports, a search box, improved charts and graphs and regular blogs on the indicators.

Every aspect of the project is designed to involve as many knowledgeable, involved citizens from every corner of the region. Sign up on the site and receive the newsletter regularly or choose an indicator category for regular delivery.

Writer: Debra Diamond Smit
Source: Halley Martin, John Craig, PittsburghToday

Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Today