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Regional Knowledge Network launched
Web site is state-of-the-art information resource for the bi-national region
By RACHEL M. TEAMAN
Reporter Contributor
Now more than ever, the Buffalo Niagara region needs reliable, timely information for sound decision-making. To help meet this need, the Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth has launched the Regional Knowledge Network (http://www.rkn.buffalo.edu), a state-of-the-art information resource for the bi-national region.
As a regional information Web site, the Regional Knowledge Network (RKN) is unique in its bi-national scope and in its powerful, user-driven tools for accessing data, maps, lists and resources on a variety of regionally critical topics.
Covering 10 topic areas for the entire cross-border region encompassing the eight counties of Western New York and the Niagara Peninsula of Southern Ontario, RKN is designed to inform and provide capacity for advanced research. The site serves a diverse audience of government officials, regional leaders, community activists, researchers, students and citizens.
"This is a cutting-edge resource for regional intelligence, providing reliable information for sound decision-making on important issues and trends," said Kathryn A. Foster, director of the institute.
"We anticipate RKN will fill a critical information gap in Buffalo Niagara," she said, adding that RKN is still only in its first phase and will continue to expand over the next several months.
RKN replaces the institute's former Western New York Regional Information Network, an online repository of lists and directories that launched in 1997 and grew steadily until 2005, when it was taken offline.
The new network incorporates many of WNYRIN's most popular features, including lists of governments, parks and schools. The RKN enhances those features with new capabilities. RKN users may:
Download quantitative data
Customize their own maps or view reference maps
Sort, search and download lists
Link to related resources
Each tool is available for four of the 10 RKN topics—population and demographics, education and schools, economy and government. Lists and resources are available for the other six topics, with data and maps in progress.
"Imagine you need population data for Niagara County, want to see the geographical distribution of elderly populations across Southern Ontario, or would like to download a list of Western New York municipalities—RKN has the capacity to meet all of these requests," Foster said, adding that the site currently provides information on more than 150 data variables.
Potential users of RKN agree the site will be a tremendous asset for the region.
"This is phenomenal. This truly sets the gold standard for online regional information resources," said D. Munroe Eagles, UB associate professor of political science, whose research interests include cross-border issues. He recently participated in a focus group previewing the RKN.
"It's the only site that I know of in the area that's truly regional. If only for that reason, it's really wonderful," said Peter Sorgi, a Buffalo attorney and RKN focus-group participant.
RKN also is an efficient resource, despite its broad geographic scope and expansive content. Where feasible, the site connects to existing information resources, such as municipal Web sites and online sources of federal, state, provincial and local data.
"RKN does not attempt to be all things to all people," said Foster. "Although users will often find information on RKN that doesn't exist anywhere else, we recognize other sites often do things better. It makes sense to connect to these resources, not duplicate them."
Such a centralized resource for regional information will be an important asset for Douglas Jacobs, a planning technician for the Chautauqua County Planning and Economic Development Department. Often, county government departments, local municipalities and other agencies ask the planning department to track down local data needed for grant writing or research purposes. "Now I'll just send them to RKN," he said.
The Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth, aligned since December 2005 with the UB Law School, plays a vital role in addressing key governance and quality-of-life issues in the Buffalo Niagara region. A major research and public service unit of UB, it leverages the resources of the university and bi-national community to pursue a wide range of scholarship, projects and initiatives that inform regional challenges.