A favorite analogy in the field of community indicators is that of an airplane control panel or a car dashboard. An altimeter indicates a plane's altitude. A gas gauge indicates a car's fuel level. Based on what these indicators show, a pilot knows whether to fly higher or lower, and a driver knows when to fill up the tank. Many kinds of indicators are used to inform many different kinds of decisions.
Community indicators reflect the status of a community's health and quality of life.
In order to know if we're heading in a desired direction, we need some guides to show us the way. Indicators are a tool for helping us understand ourselves as a community. They can aid citizens, policy makers, government agencies, the media, businesses and community activists in identifying and exploring the relationships among a wide range of community health trends and conditions. In addition to monitoring data trends, the 2000 Community Indicators Report identifies particular issues of concern that warrant further research, community dialogue, and comprehensive action. We wanted to know how the issues reflected in the Indicators data actually affect people in their daily lives, and which issues they care about most deeply.