| The selection of indicators involves a series of inter-connected steps. This page provides an overview of the steps in the process. Many of the steps are described in further detail on other pages of the toolkit. |
| Tip: Carefully document all of your work during the indicator selection process. This will help you explain to stakeholders why particular indicators and data sources were chosen. It will also help in developing summary information about the indicator data sources. |
- Identify the types of issues you want to map: Use the planning steps described in previous chapters (e.g., defining project goals, gathering stakeholder input, etc.) to determine the issue areas you will focus on.
- Research potential indicators: Look at other equity atlases and indicator projects, as well as relevant academic literature, for examples of indicators you could use to measure the issues you want to map.
- Identify potential data sources: Determine whether there are data available for measuring each potential indicator (read more here).
- Assess potential data sources: Assess the potential data sources to determine whether they will work for your project (read more here).
- Create a menu of options: Create a list of all the potential indicators for which acceptable data are available.
- Gather stakeholder input: Engage stakeholders in reviewing and prioritizing the potential indicators, as well as identifying any key indicators you may have missed (read more here).
- Prioritize indicators: Use stakeholder input to develop a priority list of potential indicators. Gather the data for these priority indicators and conduct an in-depth assessment of the quality, mappability, and effectiveness of the data. Based on this information, make a final decision about which indicators to map.