# What is Data Midsouth?

**Data Midsouth** is a centralized civic **data hub** for Memphis, Shelby County, and the Midsouth region built in [Huwise](https://userclub.huwise.com/pages/sources-inspiration/?sort=horodateur) (formerly known as Open Data Soft) and maintained by [Innovate Memphis](#who-built-it). 

It brings together publicly available datasets, interactive visualizations, and research reports in one place so you don't have to hunt across a dozen websites to find the information you need.

<p align="center"><button type="button" class="button primary" data-action="ask" data-icon="gitbook-assistant">Ask a question…</button></p>

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### How should I use it?

Think of Data Midsouth like a **search engine** for local civic data:

<div data-full-width="true" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/w57YU9NgxoGL3E09ZHhh" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

* **You can** [**browse**](/data-midsouth-portal/getting-started/explore-the-catalog.md) raw data tables, maps, dashboards, and other online data tools.
* **You can** [**preview** ](/data-midsouth-portal/features/data-asset-page.md)before you download anything.
* **You can** [**download**](/data-midsouth-portal/features/downloads-and-formats.md) **or** [**explore** ](/data-midsouth-portal/advanced-features/in-app-analysis.md#using-the-query-feature)the information in a few different ways, depending on the asset.

It’s designed to make public information easier to find and use.

* Some assets [**live directly inside**](/data-midsouth-portal/features/data-asset-types.md) the platform.
* Others **link out** to trusted sources (like a partner dashboard or external website).

If you click something and it takes you to a different website, that’s normal.&#x20;

<p align="center"><strong>Data Midsouth is designed to help you </strong><em><strong>find</strong></em><strong> the right data, even if it’s hosted elsewhere.</strong></p>

Most data is currently focused on Memphis and Shelby County, but we hope to expand to regional data in the future. &#x20;

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### Where to start

Begin by thinking of a question you have about your community. For example, "Are evictions getting worse in my zip code?"

#### **Search the catalog** with a keyword (e.g., “evictions”)

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/zgY0iUnU8F0DaWJR8cTp" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

#### Scroll down the home page to **explore data by topic (e.g. Housing)**

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="/files/v3p8Fmm7IM49nHCJ6sTp" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

#### Keep scrolling to **explore by data asset**&#x20;

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

To learn more about how to navigate the portal, check out [Tour the interface](/data-midsouth-portal/getting-started/tour-the-interface.md) for a walkthrough video tutorial.&#x20;

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### Who is it for?&#x20;

* **Community members and advocates** — [Find data](/data-midsouth-portal/getting-started/explore-the-catalog.md) on your area, track property trends, understand where resources are and aren't going.
* **Nonprofit and civic org staff** — Pull data for grant applications, program planning, and community assessments. [Download ](/data-midsouth-portal/features/downloads-and-formats.md)clean datasets ready for your own analysis.
* **Researchers and analysts** — Access raw data with complete [metadata, source documentation, and refresh schedules](/data-midsouth-portal/features/data-asset-page.md).
* **Journalists and storytellers** — Search by topic, embed visualizations, and access underlying data for investigative work
* **Government and agency staff** — Review what's publicly available, identify data gaps, and explore what partners have published.&#x20;

<p align="center">You can also <strong>publish your organization's data on Data Midsouth</strong> to address public data requests. Learn more at <a data-mention href="/pages/QymGL6I0oLiDiVYpPQ6K">/pages/QymGL6I0oLiDiVYpPQ6K</a>!</p>

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### Who built it?&#x20;

Data Midsouth is a project of [Innovate Memphis](https://www.innovatememphis.com), a nonprofit organization that has served as Memphis' civic data intermediary for over a decade.&#x20;

Innovate Memphis launched the City of Memphis' Office of Performance Management, hosts the [Memphis Property Hub](https://mph.datamidsouth.org/), and has facilitated quarterly Civic Data Forums with over 35 local organizations since 2019.&#x20;

Data Midsouth builds on these foundations by making Innovate Memphis' work and the work of local and national partners accessible to everyone.&#x20;


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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/what-is-data-midsouth.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.