The AISP Network: Three Organizational Models for Building, Using, and Sustaining Integrated Data Systems

Abstract

The chapters in this volume have provided researchers and practitioners with a theoretical framework to understand the shared components of a mature integrated data system. While this information is critical to individuals who are engaged in this work, it does little to explain the evolution of how these integrated data systems (IDSs) developed over time or the distinct practices to build, use, and sustain these systems. This chapter provides a qualitative analysis of interview data and key documents gathered during a series of case studies of ten AISP network sites. Identified through a national survey of the most promising IDS sites in the country, the ten AISP network sites are connected by a common set of elements, but as this study shows, these sites have developed distinct organizational models and IDS practices to fit their unique context and program needs. The analysis presented in this chapter reveals three key models in the AISP network—executive-based, agency-based, and university-based models—and provides critical information about the evolution of these practices for others interested in developing their own IDS in the future.