Technical Troubleshooting Guidelines
PolicyMap Does Not Load or Run Properly
In the event that PolicyMap does not load and run correctly, there are several technical troubleshooting activities that can be performed to resolve the problems. Given that the application is Internet-based, the issues that cause it to fail to run are almost always traced to a faulty or interrupted connection between the end computer and the servers that run PolicyMap. Some examples of these types of issues are shown in the screenshots below.
In the first example, neither the search box nor the map will load:
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Welcome to our series on helpful tips for PolicyMap. With over 4,000 indicators of data and many features, we hope our weekly tips can help users better utilize PolicyMap. For a complete training, please join a free online session here: Click Here
Did you know can see data changes across years. The legend will allow you to view trends; on the Maps, choose %Ch in the change variable section, while on the Table choose the “View Trends Across Years”. Subscribers can see trends for most US Census datasets, comparing against Claritas 2007 estimates and 2012 projections.
Not all data layers have the options to see a trend across years, but always look at the legend for the %Ch option.
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Before I left for France, I passed along this information from HousingPolicy.org on foreclosure data. That prompted a nice note from Jeff over at PolicyMap, who wrote:
I know you’ve written about PolicyMap.com in the past, and wanted to again recommend it for this topic. As part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), state and local governments will be charged with creating an action plan for allocating the funds. PolicyMap can help officials to identify areas in need and map the local housing markets. In fact, they just uploaded new HUD NSP data sets to make the process easier and more data-rich.
So I checked what he was talking about, and here it is. The PolicyMap blog explains that:
As an organization either applying to HUD for National Stabilization Program (NSP) grant dollars or interested in the program, you know that HUD expects grantees to consider several specific pieces of data in preparing plans and strategies for targeting funds. To make that work easier, we have mapped all that data and made it available for you on PolicyMap, the online data and mapping tool we created to aid public and social investors in understanding places and considering investment strategies. All public data and use of the tool for this purpose is free.
So check it out! Free data is always good. (And keep the information flowing — let me know if you have data to share with community indicators practitioners!)
