A good question with a simple answer….use it in advocacy and community outreach. We bet you will be shocked how well decision-makers and community members respond. Still not convinced? Consider this Philadelphia case study:

Community members created a map showing lack of access to supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods. When they “put that map in front of local leaders, the information hit home in a way [they had] never seen before.”

The state appropriation commitee pushed through a new $30 million fund to subsideze the consturction of new supermarkets in the region. The chair of the commitee reported that he “already knew that there was a problem” but “the map just made it real. It put a face on it. It was like an exhibit in a courtroom.”

Over 20 supermarkets have since opened in Philadelphia and other Pennsylvania cities, with the aid these funds.