Finding Data

Strategies for Finding Data

What type of data do you need?

What? - think about what are you measuring and what would be meaningful

Where?- do you need data specific to a particular region, state, or area?

When?- what length of time do you need the data to cover? (e.g. six months, a year, ten years, etc

Who is likely to collect the data?

Once you know what you are looking for, think about who might track or compile that information. Who has a stake in it and who is the audience for that data?

Find where the data is located

Using your answers to the above question, start looking for the data.

If it is collected by a government agency, it will often be found on that organization's website. Some might be aggregated by larger agencies or departments.

Company information and financials can often be found on their company websites, as well as in the Library Databases.

Example:

I need to know how many people have a college degree in a particular region. The information needs to be as recent as possible.

This data is collected as part of the demographic information with the U.S. Census.

U.S. Census data is available on the Census website.

Texas Open Data Portal

Texas has organized its open data into a portal for easy access. It's sections include: blockchain, permits & licensing, business & economy, government & taxes, social services, transportation, agriculture, veteran, education, public safety, energy and environment, and public reports and maps.

While you don't need to register for an account to browse and view data, you can sign up for a free account to create filtered views of data and visualizations.

For information on how to search the portal and make use of the information, check out the Guide to the Texas Open Data Portal.

Texas Open Data Portal
Open data from Texas government agencies, with information on things from business and economy to transportation and agriculture

In addition to the main Open Data Portal, Texas has some other datahubs:

Texas Demographic Center
"Data about the people and future of Texas"
Texas Health Data
Contains public data and statistics on various health topics in Texas
TxGIO Datahub
Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS) Geospatial Datahub

U.S. Data.gov

United States Data.gov

The United States Government's website for finding data, tools and resources to conduct research and design visualizations.

For details on how to search Data.gov for information, check out the Data.gov User Guide.

Data.gov
Open access data from U.S. government entities. Information on a wide variety of topics from student loans, weather, and consumer complaints.

Local Data Portals

In addition to the large portals for Texas and the U.S., most local government organizations also have a way of searching the open data that they compile.

The following resources are available for the Harris County and Houston area. Search Google with the name of your city or county and the keywords "open data" to see what is available for your local region.

Harris County GIS Open Data Portal
Open data website for Harris County "to work in partnership with county agencies to provide accurate, consistent, accessible, affordable, and comprehensive GIS data, GIS infrastructure, and GIS services to support the unique business needs of Harris County and the communities [they] serve."
Harris County Dashboards & Datasets
Dashboards and datasets for Harris County, Texas including information on economic opportunity, environment, flooding, government, housing, justice and safety, public health, and transportation
City of Houston Open Data
Open data website for the City of Houston. Includes a search and browse options by topic areas like finance, environment, public safety, and geospatial.

Data Sources

Looking for additional data? See the Data and Statistics Sources Guide arranged by topic area.