Wisconsin Public Television

Series: Known Unknowns

As the population and computing power grow, the complex systems that support everyday life have the capacity to generate detailed data that can provide crucial insights into health, education, the economy and much more. But those systems can still fall short in gathering useful or relevant information. In some cases, information is spread among disparate entities. In others, it simply has not been analyzed. When data is limited, these gaps can reveal blind spots among and challenges to policies and institutions.
 
The lack of data in adult literacy
Series: Literacy In Wisconsin
Series: Known Unknowns

The Surprising Lack Of Data About Literacy

Scott Gordon
WisContext
In many ways, campaigns to improve literacy are more sophisticated than ever. In many ways, campaigns to improve literacy are more sophisticated than ever.
ShotSpotter screen view
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence
Series: Known Unknowns
Series: Policing Practices And Accountability In Wisconsin

Milwaukee Committed To ShotSpotter But Outcomes, Data Remain Elusive

Scott Gordon
WisContext
As cities around the United States struggle to respond to gun violence in neighborhoods where residents may not trust law enforcement, dozens of police departments are turning to a gunshot-detection system called ShotSpotter.
Series: Homelessness Around Wisconsin
Series: Known Unknowns

Wisconsin's Homeless Population Has Grown, And Not Just In Cities

Scott Gordon
WisContext
Madison might be at the center of Wisconsin's loudest discussion about homelessness right now, but the problem extends far beyond the state's capital city. In fact, the majority of the state's homeless people documented in a 2015 federal report were outside the Madison and Milwaukee areas.
Series: Drinking Water Quality
Series: Known Unknowns

Why The Number And Location Of Lead Water Pipes Are Elusive

Scott Gordon
WisContext
No one can say for sure how many lead pipes drinking water runs through on a daily basis around the United States, or where specifically those pipes are located.
Series: Drinking Water Quality
Series: Known Unknowns

Wisconsin's Lead Water Pipes Are Often Buried With History

Scott Gordon
WisContext
The state of Wisconsin is getting ready to parcel out $14.5 million to help communities replace thousands of lead service lines. However, short of digging up every single pipe in a community or surveying every property owner, there's no way to know for sure where all the lead is located.
Series: The Opioid Epidemic In Wisconsin
Series: Known Unknowns

Public Health Officials In Wisconsin Struggle With Gaps In Substance Abuse Data

Scott Gordon
WisContext
Data about substance abuse is plentiful. The difficult part is pulling together all that information, analyzing it, and identifying the patterns.
Series: The Opioid Epidemic In Wisconsin
Series: Known Unknowns

How Public Health Recordkeepers Struggle With Tracking Synthetic Opioids

Scott Gordon
WisContext
As more people die of overdoses — sometimes after unknowingly using highly potent opioids — public health officials are also struggling for clarity.
Series: Known Unknowns
Series: Special Elections And Legislative Vacancies

Making Sense Of Special Elections In Wisconsin

Scott Gordon
WisContext
When debating Gov. Scott Walker's decision to not call special elections to fill two vacancies in the Wisconsin Legislature, state political figures and commentators have argued over the move's implications elections law, public spending and democracy itself. But what about precedent?
Series: Known Unknowns
Series: Health In Rural Wisconsin

Diagnosing The Gaps In Wisconsin's Obesity Map

Scott Gordon
WisContext
Even the most thorough batch of data will have its gaps and shortcomings, and it's part of public health researchers' job to try to better understand the big picture in spite of that limitation
Series: Known Unknowns

The Hidden Costs And Value Of Wisconsin's Search And Rescue Apparatus

Will Cushman
WisContext
Search and rescue volunteers tend to be dedicated to their craft. Some spend thousands of dollars and countless hours training for and carrying out searches.