State leaders in Maryland have rolled out new online resiliency tools to help provide important economic data to local economic and government decision makers.
In a press release, the state explained that these four dashboards “provide critical information allowing local economic developers and organizations to create strategies to help the region address economic shocks, while building resiliency against future events.”
The dashboards were created in partnership with the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative (ESRGC) at Salisbury University and are a part of a multi-year project that was funded through part of a $1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).
Housed on the Maryland Department of Commerce website, the tools include:
- The Maryland Manufacturing Industry Dashboard, which highlights strengths and industry opportunities that exist within the state;
- The Maryland Manufacturing Workforce Dashboard, which explores the state’s manufacturing workforce characteristics, and provides data on demographics of employees and new hires;
- The Maryland Transferable Skills Dashboard, which provides tools to analyze the state’s occupations and assortment of skills that are preferred in each profession; and
- The Maryland Economic Dashboard, a guide to demographic, economic, and social data for each of Maryland’s regions.
The Maryland Department of Commerce said that the dashboards provide not only data, but also maps, graphs, and other information at a county level for the entire state, allowing for comparisons across jurisdictions, the creation of custom geographic regions, and data for multiple years.
“Making Maryland’s economy stronger and more competitive requires teamwork as well as reliable, accurate information. Maryland Commerce is proud to work with our partners at Salisbury University and the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative to provide these free, data-driven tools,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson.
“These dashboards will help economic development organizations, business leaders, and local governments respond to unexpected economic challenge,” he said. “We’re grateful to the U.S. EDA for funding this critical research project.”
