Knowledgeplex.org
Created by a distinguished team of founding partners and implemented by the Fannie Mae Foundation, KnowledgePlex® is designed to support the efforts of practitioners, grantors, policy makers, scholars, investors, and others involved or interested in the fields of affordable housing and community development.* One of the features offered by KnowledgePlex is called DataPlace, a powerful "data mining" tool. Click here or scroll down to read about it. For information on how to access Knowledgeplex, read below.
How do I access the data?
Accessing data from Knowledgeplex is very simple and straightforward. It may seem like a lot at times due to the large amounts of information constantly on the page, but whatever housing or community information you are seeking, you will be able to find it here. Simply follow the list below and your search should yield the desired results. Click here to open Knowledgeplex in a new window.
Once at the Knowledgeplex.org homepage:
-The homepage contains new stories and documents, as well as a full
menu of topics on the left hand side. If you'd like to see all of the topics
and subtopics, scroll to the bottom for a text listing. If you see a document
you would like to look at, simply click on the title. Otherwise, click on a topic to
the left.
- After clicking on the topic of your choice (for instance, Homelessness), that topic's main page will come up. Relevant news, topics, discussions and events are listed on the page. To view one, simply click on the title. Also, on the upper right side of the page is a "Sort By" Box. Using this, you can choose whether to sort the items by Relevance, Popularity, Date Published or Date Added.
- In addition to browsing through topics for information, Knowledgeplex allows you to search through its databases using the search box on the top of the screen. Put in a topic or piece of information you are searching for and click on the "Search" button. Your results will be returned in order of relevance to your search. If the search yields something you'd like to read, click on the title.
- Knowledgeplex also has a list of tools on the upper left of your screen. These include a calendar of events and a discussion board. In order to participate in the discussion board and expert chats, you must register. Click "Register" in the upper right, and follow the on-screen instructions. Once complete, you will see a confirmation screen and be instructed to login. Once logged in, you will have access to everything Knowledgeplex has to offer.
DataPlace:
DataPlace is a very useful data mining and presentation tool from Knowledgeplex. It lets you view tables, charts, and maps of data about states, counties, cities, zip codes and census tracts in the United States, from various sources. Click here to go to DataPlace.
- -Once there, simply type a location in the search box (i.e. New Haven, CT), and click on "Find Place." If the location is available, a map of the location will appear.
- -Above the map is a drop-down box that, above it, says "Choose data to show on this map." By clicking the blue arrows next to the box, a menu will appear and you will be able to choose what data you would like to display on the map. Next to the data chosen, you can select from the available years of data, as well.
- *Knowledgeplex.org; Fannie Mae Foundation. Copyright 2005
