2016 APDU Accomplishments

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Over the past 12 months, the Association of Public Data Users (APDU) has been busy providing members with the information, training, and advocacy that supports your important work. Our Annual Conference in Alexandria, VA was bigger than ever, we held our first ever training course, and our webinar series educated hundreds of attendees on a variety of topics. We are pleased to present to you APDU’s accomplishments from the past year.

Conference

  • Gathered over 180 attendees and speakers in Alexandria, VA to for a two-day conference on statistical policy; data collection, production, and delivery; emerging data issues; relevant data dissemination technologies; and more.
  • Held the inaugural APDU Data Viz Awards, given to exemplary data visualizations from seven organizations across the country that use public data.

Communication

  • Produced 48 APDU Weekly newsletters, informing APDU members about developments in federal data programs, novel data visualizations, data publications, and other data initiatives.
  • Introduced the APDU Job Board, updating members on opportunities in federal data agencies and the organizations that make use of publicly available data.

Training

  • Developed APDU’s first ever training course, the well-attended Data Viz Made Simple event. Held in Arlington, VA on September 15-16 immediately following the 2016 APDU Annual Conference, the training was at full capacity and received exceedingly positive reviews.
  • Produced 14 webinars on topics including the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, Current Population Survey, and the underreporting of young children in federal statistical programs.

Data Advocacy

  • Provided opportunities for comment on nearly 200 federal actions in the Federal Register through the APDU Weekly.
  • Produced a webinar in collaboration with the Census Project on the Census Data Advocacy Toolkit to help state and local organizations build coalitions in support of an accurate census and comprehensive, reliable ACS.
  • Collaborated with Friends of BLS, the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS), and the Census Project in advocacy efforts.
  • Participated in several Capitol Hill visits to Congressional staff representing the interests of statistical data users.
  • Signed on to several letters advocating for proper funding for Census, BLS, and BEA and supporting efforts to ensure the ACS remains mandatory.