Data science for regional economic transformations

This project fuses data science and complexity science to develop data-driven, decision support tools for regional planners.  Whether a region is intentionally trying to transform its economy or is trying to rebuild from an economic shock, our goal is to help planners identify optimal transition pathways to a desirable and prosperous economic future.

Originally funded by the NSF as the MetroInsight platform, this growing suite of tools helps identify optimal industry targets for regional job growth. It further identifies potential gaps in workers skills and education that may prevent a region from realizing the full potential of those industries.  Our methods are theoretically grounded and based on the hidden networks of interdependence between occupations, industries, and skills.  ASU’s Decision Theater (dt.asu.edu) has translated this work into an immersive interactive platform covering the USA, Canada, and Australia, with work ongoing to expand to Germany and other European Union countries.

Funders