27 3.5 CONSIDERATIONS FOR DIGITAL DATA ANALYSIS AND USE Township departments can use digital data analysis to improve decision-making and evaluate policy interventions. As noted in chapter 2, data-based analysis of local issues and policies is not yet common at the township level, but many departments could better discharge their core responsibilities and refine their policymaking with the help of digital data analysis. As local data collection focuses more on local issues, and collection and storage are digitalized, a variety of simple analyses can be carried out to support decision-making, allowing township department officials, for example, to monitor key performance indicators or receive up-to-date data on revenue collection (box J). Where appropriate, and with resources and training, more complex policies can be addressed, such as route optimization for garbage collection. BOX J Myankhon Data-Analysis Dashboards DAOs in Shan, Magway, Mon, and Kayin are taking advantage of data “dashboards” to monitor performance and make data-based decisions. Data dashboards are a collection of data visualizations that provide critical information to decision-makers in easy-to-understand formats. They are typically displayed on a web page and are linked to databases that allow the dashboard to be updated in real time. In Myanmar, data analysis skills are not common. Dashboards can be designed to do data analysis automatically, overcoming the need for government staff to do their own analysis with tools like Microsoft Excel. The Myankhon dataanalysis dashboards were a response to difficulties officials had analyzing data with Excel. It takes a few staff to design the dashboard, and then it can be rolled out across the country. The dashboard has been designed to illustrate statistical concepts, such as the distribution of data, without users having to understand those terms. The dashboard shows, at a glance, that the mean propertytax payment in Taunggyi is 624 kyat (just over the price of a cup of tea), with 68 percent of households paying less than 1,000 kyat every six months.