THE REGIONAL INDEX STRUCTURE
The world-wide scope of this process demands that it will necessarily evolve to meet the needs of other cultures, however, for this concept to be effective, the basic structure defined here must expand to meet these needs since proliferation of the concept merely continues the incompatibility of data problems that plague civic engagement.
The Index consists of six modules:
Regional Profile: In order to compare regions to regions across the globe, key differentiating elements must be identified so that it is possible to determine the effects of profile differences from operating and policy differences
REGIONAL INDICATORS: To track performance variables it is necessary to capture all of those elements that are involved in the topic under discussion. Often these variables are controlled by other entities and therefore they must all be identified, profiled and correlated
REGIONAL INDEX STRUCTURE: The Index Structure is hierarchical. Being comprehensive and all-inclusive is required. The Component is the base unit in the system and it is defined by the number of elements that collectively control the performance of that componnent.. Each element has its own profile which describes how it is maintained, what its relationships are etc.
INDEX FACTORING: The Index recognizes that all elements are not equal in their impact on other components in the system and the various system components are similarly not equal to each other, therefore the Index must have a factor to balance these differences in order to have a balanced perspective on the overall quality of the regional health. Highlighting the positives and the negatives guides policy discussions
ELEMENT STANDARDS: Determining how each element of a component is functioning is the base-line for the Index scoring structure. A prescribed set of assessment interpretations are defined by a grading system; the lower the level of the evaluation, the higher the probability of its accuracy. When the index values are compiled and correlated that is when the issues are clarified.
RELATIONSHIPS AND STAKEHOLDERS: If a component of the system fails to support other components, turf issues emerge. By correlating the relationships between components and the stakeholders that are engaged in operating these components it is possible to determine if critical assets are being supported properly based upon the overall regional priorities.