Fall 2017 SAVI Online Magazine Emagazine Fall 2017 FINAL | Page 2

INTRODUCTION
Statistics. Percentages. Numbers. Data, data, data. We are inundated
in today’s information age with an overwhelming amount of facts and
figures. It can be a challenge figuring out what it means, wondering if
it makes a difference, and looking to see if it reveals something new.
And, what does “putting a face on
data,” really mean? Simplistically,
it means distilling the pertinent
information from your research,
asking questions about and
reflecting on what it means, then
telling the story that is brought to
light so readers can understand how
it relates to them. This is where and
how SAVI makes a difference.
Dr. Brian Dixon, a Regenstrief
Institute investigator and associate
professor of epidemiology at the
IUPUI Fairbanks School of Public
Health, takes this to heart in his work
with his students. He uses SAVI
Advanced to teach students how to
analyze data about populations to
understand social determinants of
health and how to use data stories
to share their findings.
EmployIndy’s mission is to help
Marion County residents access
services and training to improve
opportunities in the workforce.
The organization shifts its efforts
periodically to better meet the needs
of both individuals and companies.
It uses SAVI to track the impact of
its programs and adjusts as needed
to be more successful. It sees the
effectiveness of its programs as it
helps prepare and present qualified
candidates to employers demanding
specific skill sets.
Teachers at Park Tudor School
want their middle school students to
understand how numbers can tell a
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story. They introduced students to
SAVI so they can learn about their
neighborhood and create their own
story. And, was it ever a success!
Our new report, Who Rides the
Bus: Examining Transit Ridership in
Marion County, sheds new light on
IndyGo ridership and its possible
implications for service providers
and future transit. We combined
data from the recent ridership survey
with a variety of neighborhood
socio-economic factors in SAVI
to better understand how and
why certain groups of riders used
the service.
The report provides general
audiences with an informed
geographic approach to transit
to see how place plays into
the equation. Read more in our
feature article.
SAVI continues to help
organizations better serve human
needs through its ability to show
patterns and gaps visually and
identify details that were not as
evident before. We hope you enjoy
the stories that follow that show
the faces of those impacted by the
information SAVI provides.