SEAP recently cohosted a webinar with the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) focused on the state of Southern data infrastructure—and what it will take to build data systems that truly serve the region.
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Local and regional data intermediaries across the South are functioning as essential infrastructure. They preserve access to data, translate complex information for decision-makers, and fill gaps left by federal and state systems. Yet despite their critical role, these organizations remain under-resourced and vulnerable.
Five Things We Learned About the State of Southern Data Infrastructure
Local organizations are de facto data infrastructure.
Southern data intermediaries provide trusted, place-based data that directly informs policy decisions, funding allocation, and service delivery. Their work is foundational—not supplemental.
Data loss and instability are causing real harm.
The removal or degradation (such as when data is no longer updated or surveys aren’t as far reaching) of federal datasets has stalled climate adaptation and equity initiatives, forcing local organizations to spend limited capacity rebuilding data instead of advancing impact.
Hyper-local data matter more than ever.
As survey participation declines and federal data releases lag, local administrative data is revealing critical service gaps. Unlocking its potential, however, requires investments in privacy, data linkage (the process of combining datasets to create a comprehensive picture), and analytic capacity.
Representation and trust shape data quality.
Without community governance and contextual interpretation, data risks reinforcing inequities rather than illuminating solutions grounded in lived experience.
Collaboration enables scale without erasing local nuance.
Open-source tools, shared standards, and peer networks allow local data to connect across systems—while still honoring regional context and specificity.
Opportunities for Southern Data in 2026:
We are also seeing clear opportunities for strengthening the data ecosystem in the South:
- Regional Southern data collaboratives
- Shared data archiving and preservation initiatives
- Peer learning spaces for local data practitioners
- Advocacy to protect census data and federal data quality
A strong Southern data ecosystem is vital to the work of advancing progressive policy in the region, and it’s up to all of us to protect and invest in the systems like quality data collection that help us all make informed policy choices.
