# Open Dataset Starting Points

The sources below are starting points you might consider for your own dashboard analysis. Choose one you find interesting that gives you a question to investigate.


| Area | Dataset / source | Why it could work |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Local / Durham | [Durham Trees & Planting Sites](https://live-durhamnc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/DurhamNC%3A%3Atrees-planting-sites/about) | Local, visual, structured; good for maps, filtering, dashboards, and ecosystem-benefit examples. |
| Parks / time series | [NPS Visitor Use Statistics](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/visitor-use-statistics-dashboard.htm) | Annual and monthly park visitation data; good for trends, seasonality, and comparison across places. |
| Higher ed | [College Scorecard](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/) | Institutions, costs, programs, outcomes, debt, and earnings; strong for education dashboards. |
| Research / scholarly metadata | [OpenAlex](https://developers.openalex.org/) | Works, authors, institutions, sources, and topics; good for analyzing research trends. |
| Weather / climate | [National Weather Service API](https://www.weather.gov/documentation/services-web-api) | Forecasts, alerts, and observations; good for API and local dashboard examples. |
| Census / demographics | [Census Data API](https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets.html) | Population, housing, income, commuting, and education data; useful for maps and public data lessons. |
| Environment / health | [CDC PLACES](https://www.cdc.gov/places/) | Local health indicators by county, place, census tract, and ZIP Code Tabulation Area. |
| Arts / culture | [Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection API](https://metmuseum.github.io/) | Public art collection data; good for search, filters, categories, dates, and maps. |
| Playful / animals | [2018 Central Park Squirrel Census](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Environment/2018-Central-Park-Squirrel-Census-Squirrel-Data/vfnx-vebw) | Fun and approachable; good for categories, maps, filtering, and counts. |
| Playful / media | [Bob Ross Painting Elements](https://github.com/fivethirtyeight/data/tree/master/bob-ross) | Small and easy to understand; good for categorical summaries of trees, mountains, clouds, cabins, lakes, and other painting elements. |

Before building, write down the dashboard question in one sentence. Then inspect
the source enough to confirm the data has the fields, license, and access pattern
your dashboard needs.