Category: Blog
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Airtable upgrade for Resource Directory Data Management
Since 2018, members of Open Referral’s community of practice have been using Airtable to develop user-friendly, HSDS-compatible resource directory databases. I oversee management of the Whatcom Resource Information Collaborative’s resource data system in Airtable, and we’ve continued to build new capacities for managing directory information – so I’m excited to share our updates back with the community. …
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Our 2024 Year in Review
In this report, we summarize all of the significant steps forward in the past year, from a new version of our standards, upgrades to our governance model, and breakthroughs in business strategy across the human service informatics sector. Read more here in the report. Continue reading →
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Envisioning cooperative resource directory information infrastructure in Minnesota
Minnesota residents can look for information about a range of human services on MinnesotaHelp.Info®, a resource navigation program supported through partnership among several public entities (including the state’s Department of Human Services and Board on Aging). Minnesotans can also look for information about human services via 2-1-1, which is operated by United Ways of Minnesota…
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Sustaining 211 in Western New York (and beyond)
211 plays several critical roles not just for the people who call our helpline, but to the entire health, human, and service sector domain – starting with our painstaking work to collect and maintain directory data about the services across this domain. This information management requires expertise and care and cannot be automated. Organizations throughout our…
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Powering South Dakota’s Community Information Exchange: Helpline Center’s resource data service
[Editor note: We’re excited to share this post from Shauna Batcheller, Care Coordination Program Director at the Helpline Center, South Dakota’s 211 and 988 service provider] Nexus SD is a collaborative statewide initiative to develop capacities for community information exchange … Continue reading →
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Upgrading our Governance: Introducing the Open Referral Standing Technical Committee
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Open Referral’s new standing technical committee wants to hear from members of our community about your priorities and feedback. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey– your input can help us shape our roadmap for the year … Continue reading →
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Upgrading our standards: Introducing version 3.1 of the Human Service Data Specifications
EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome Kathryn Irish, Senior Data Analyst of Open Data Services, to the Open Referral blog! Also note: Open Referral’s new standing technical committee wants to hear from members of our community about your priorities and feedback for future … Continue reading →
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The Risks of AI in I&R Part 2
This is the second post in a series about the Risks and Opportunities of AI in I&R. My first post considered the long, disappointing history of “algorithmic technologies” in human service sectors. In this post, we’ll examine the specific kind of … Continue reading →
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The Risks of AI in I&R – Part 1
Last month I presented at the 2024 Inform USA Grand Gathering in Grand Rapids Michigan, and my session – the Risks of AI in I&R – was probably the most popular I’ve delivered in 10 years of these conferences. So I’ll relay a summary here, in a series of posts. Continue reading →