TMT boosts business use of data

Leaders of Truckee Meadows Tomorrow think that businesses will want to dive deeply into a new set of data collected by the nonprofit that tracks quality of life in the region.

The data, says TMT President Zanny Marsh, includes information that's not easily available elsewhere the percentage of residents who participate in health and wellness programs, for instance, or the number who are concerned about the affordability of housing.

The data, available without charge, also probes difficult-to-measure questions such as the factors that influence whether residents feel safe in their community.

The full-blown study, which is conducted in alternate years by TMT, is scheduled to be available in February.

But Marsh notes volunteers are uploading data as it's collected from interviews, electronic surveys, focus groups and traditional survey instruments distributed to people who don't have easy access to a computer. The updated information, as well as the survey, is available at truckeemeadowstomorrow.org.

Visitors to the Web site last week could find, for example, detailed information on the cost of living in the Reno area and historic data on voter turnout.

Yet to come last week was survey data on subjects ranging from residents' views of community initiatives to their ability to find spiritual well-being.

TMT leaders expect they'll collect input from between 2,500 and 4,000 area residents by the time work is completed.

Marsh said TMT wants to encourage more businesspeople to participate in the survey and use the survey's results in their budgeting and decision-making.

The group also wants to hear from businesspeople about steps TMT could take to make the data more useful to the private sector.

As the community identifies quality of life priorities, TMT hopes to broker partnerships of private- and public-sector organizations to make a difference in the Truckee Meadows, Marsh says.

TMT has tracked quality of life in the region for 15 years.