# Explore the catalog

The Data Midsouth catalog is a growing collection of data assets covering civic topics in Memphis, Shelby County, and the Midsouth region. 

This page gives you an orientation to what's available by topic, so you know what to look for — and what to ask for — if it's not there yet. 

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/MmBvRBHbCWkJv9REc2eb" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

{% hint style="warning" %}
Data Midsouth is a living catalog
&#x20;\- <mark style="color:$danger;">This list reflects the catalog at time of writing and will grow over time. The Requests/Ideas board at</mark> [<mark style="color:$danger;">feedback.datamidsouth.org</mark>](https://feedback.datamidsouth.org/) <mark style="color:$danger;">shows what the community has asked for next — and you can vote or add your own.</mark>
{% endhint %}

In the catalog, you might see:

* Assets hosted directly in Data Midsouth
* Assets that link out to another source on an external website

The catalog is designed to help you find it **faster**.&#x20;

### How assets are organized

Assets in the catalog are sorted alphabetically by title by default. The top navigation offers three filtered views:

* Data — Structured raw data tables you can download and analyze in your own tools
* Visualizations — Interactive maps, dashboards, and charts you can use directly in your browser
* Mega Data — Dashboards and applications that go particularly deep or wide on civic topics
* Reports — PDFs and research documents from DMS and partner organizations

You can also use the search bar to find assets by keyword, or browse All Data Assets to see everything at once. See [Search & filter](/data-midsouth-portal/features/search-and-filter.md) for more on finding what you need.

### How to find what you need

Think of the catalog like a **public library for local data**. You browse what exists, read the “label,” and reuse it.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### 1) Search

Use search first. Start broad. Then narrow down.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### 2) Check the details

Open the asset's page and scan the basics:

* **Description:** What it covers.
* **Years Available**&#x20;
* **Data Update Frequency**&#x20;
* **Data Limitations**
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### 3) Use it

Pick the action that matches your goal:

* **Explore online** to preview dashboards or spot patterns.
* **Download/export** for deeper analysis.
* **Connect a tool** (when an API is available).
  {% endstep %}
  {% endstepper %}

### What's in the catalog

Assets in the catalog fall into several broad topic areas. Here's a representative sample of what you'll find in each:

<details>

<summary>Housing</summary>

Memphis Property Hub

Eviction Court Cases - Shelby County General Sessions Court

Property Transactions - Shelby County Register of Deeds

</details>

&#x20;

You might also find useful:  [Data asset types](/data-midsouth-portal/features/data-asset-types.md)  ·  [Search & filter](/data-midsouth-portal/features/search-and-filter.md)  ·  [Data asset page](/data-midsouth-portal/features/data-asset-page.md)


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://help.datamidsouth.org/data-midsouth-portal/getting-started/explore-the-catalog.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.