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Data and Statistics

Data drive decision making across every sector, from health care and education to business and government. Explore research that strengthens how we gather, protect, analyze, and apply data to solve complex challenges.

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Paleoenvironmental Data 101: Using Earth’s Past to Prepare for the Future

Announcement

While data collected by modern instruments can provide information on decades of Earth’s extreme events, paleoenvironmental data found in natural archives such as ice cores and tree rings can extend that record by hundreds, thousands, or millions of years into the past. Drawing on a new National Academies report, this interactive webpage offers an introduction to different paleoenvironmental archives and how they are being used to develop a deeper understanding of disasters in the past and plan for a more resilient future.

May 4, 2026

Rock core samples at the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland.

Used on the cover of: A Synthesis Center for Paleoenvironmental Records of Extreme Events

As Demand for Electricity Grows, Energy Parks Are Being Explored as Potential Solutions

Feature Story

The energy needs of AI data centers are greatly increasing the amount of electricity demanded from our aging power grid. A recent National Academies webinar looked at the potential benefits and barriers of regional energy parks — which co-locate local power sources and large-scale users at a single point on the grid — to provide electricity quickly and more affordably.

Feb 26, 2026

Steel transmission towers stretch across a desert plain at sunset while glowing blue strands symbolize data-intensive artificial intelligence increasing power consumption.

Federal Leaders Should Respect and Safeguard the Integrity of Data from Government Statistical Agencies

Statement

In a statement, the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine urge federal leaders to respect and safeguard the integrity and objectivity of federal statistical agencies and the information they produce, which is vital to public policy and essential to the nation’s economic well-being.

Aug 8, 2025

stock market investment graph on financial numbers abstract background.3d illustration
,concept of business investment and crypto currency.3d illustration

Featured work

Cybercrime Classification and Measurement

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Recently Completed

Developing Competencies for the Future of Data and Computing: The Role of K-12

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Recently Completed

A Data Infrastructure for Measuring the Care Economy

Consensus/Advisory Activity

In Progress

Governance and Coordination Systems for Resilient Earth Observations – Issue Paper

Individually-Authored Product

In Formation

Assessing and Navigating Biosecurity Concerns and Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Use in the Life Sciences

Consensus/Advisory Activity

My Academies

Data and Statistics

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What's happening

Featured work

Cybercrime Classification and Measurement

Developing Competencies for the Future of Data and Computing: The Role of K-12

A Data Infrastructure for Measuring the Care Economy

Governance and Coordination Systems for Resilient Earth Observations – Issue Paper

Assessing and Navigating Biosecurity Concerns and Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Use in the Life Sciences

Data, Metrics, and Analytic Methods for Assessing Equity Impacts of Surface Transportation Investments: Phase 2 Study to Support State and Local Decision Making

Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Engineering Laboratory (EL)

Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Information Technology Laboratory (ITL)

Developing a Strategy to Evaluate the 5th National Climate Assessment

Sex and Gender Identification and Implications for Disability Evaluation

Utilizing Advanced Environmental Health and Geospatial Data and Technologies to Inform Community Investment

Women’s Empowerment, Population Dynamics, and Socioeconomic Development

Study and Recommendations on the HIMS, FADAP, and Other Drug and Alcohol Programs within the USDOT

An Integrated System of U.S. Household Income, Wealth, and Consumption Data and Statistics to Inform Policy and Research

Managed Retreat in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region

Facial Recognition: Current Capabilities, Future Prospects, and Governance

Approaches for Data Governance and Protecting Privacy

The Scope, Components, and Key Characteristics of a 21st Century Data Infrastructure

Panel to Evaluate the Quality of the 2020 Census

Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System

Governance and Coordination Systems for Resilient Earth Observations – Issue Paper

Assessing and Navigating Biosecurity Concerns and Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Use in the Life Sciences

Utilizing Advanced Environmental Health and Geospatial Data and Technologies to Inform Community Investment

Maintaining Operational Effectiveness for U.S. Naval Forces in Highly Degraded Environments: Ensuring Trusted, Resilient Data in the Face of Data Warfare (Phase 2)

Future Use of The Department of Defense Joint Pathology Center Biorepository

Assessment of the Available Scientific Data Regarding the Safety and Effectiveness of Ingredients Used in Compounded Topical Pain Creams

Forecasting Costs for Preserving, Archiving, and Promoting Access to Biomedical Data

Facilities Staffing Requirements for Veterans Health Administration

Improving Consumer Data for Food and Nutrition Policy Research for the Economic Research Service, USDA

Proposal Evaluation for Allocation of Supercomputing Time for the Study of Molecular Dynamics, Fifteenth Round

Developing a Strategy to Evaluate the 5th National Climate Assessment

An Integrated System of U.S. Household Income, Wealth, and Consumption Data and Statistics to Inform Policy and Research

Panel to Evaluate the Quality of the 2020 Census

Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System

Improving Consumer Data for Food and Nutrition Policy Research for the Economic Research Service, USDA

Improving Data Collection and Reporting about Agriculture with Increasingly Complex Farm Business Structures

Sixth Edition of Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency

Reengineering the Census Bureau's Annual Economic Surveys

Methods for Integrating Multiple Data Sources to Improve Crop Estimates

Modernizing the Nation’s Crime Statistics

An Integrated System of U.S. Household Income, Wealth, and Consumption Data and Statistics to Inform Policy and Research

Facial Recognition: Current Capabilities, Future Prospects, and Governance

Approaches for Data Governance and Protecting Privacy

Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System

Future of Encryption

Return of Individual-Specific Research Results Generated in Research Laboratories

Improving Data Collection and Reporting about Agriculture with Increasingly Complex Farm Business Structures

Law Enforcement and Intelligence Access to Plaintext Information in an Era of Widespread Strong Encryption: Options and Tradeoffs

Sixth Edition of Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency

Reengineering the Census Bureau's Annual Economic Surveys

Study and Recommendations on the HIMS, FADAP, and Other Drug and Alcohol Programs within the USDOT

Managed Retreat in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region

Understanding the Aging Workforce and Employment at Older Ages

Implementing High-Quality Primary Care

Understanding the Status and Well-Being of Sexual and Gender Diverse Populations

Informing the Selection of Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2030

Rising Midlife Mortality Rates and Socioeconomic Disparities

Consequences of Uninsurance

The Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults

Improving Consumer Data for Food and Nutrition Policy Research for the Economic Research Service, USDA

Governance and Coordination Systems for Resilient Earth Observations – Issue Paper

Assessing and Navigating Biosecurity Concerns and Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Use in the Life Sciences

Data, Metrics, and Analytic Methods for Assessing Equity Impacts of Surface Transportation Investments: Phase 2 Study to Support State and Local Decision Making

Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Engineering Laboratory (EL)

Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Information Technology Laboratory (ITL)

The Scope, Components, and Key Characteristics of a 21st Century Data Infrastructure

Maintaining Operational Effectiveness for U.S. Naval Forces in Highly Degraded Environments: Ensuring Trusted, Resilient Data in the Face of Data Warfare (Phase 2)

Assessment of the Available Scientific Data Regarding the Safety and Effectiveness of Ingredients Used in Compounded Topical Pain Creams

Assessment of the Technical Quality of the Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

The Future of Voting: Accessible, Reliable, Verifiable Technology

Governance and Coordination Systems for Resilient Earth Observations – Issue Paper

Assessing and Navigating Biosecurity Concerns and Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Use in the Life Sciences

Sex and Gender Identification and Implications for Disability Evaluation

Women’s Empowerment, Population Dynamics, and Socioeconomic Development

Maintaining Operational Effectiveness for U.S. Naval Forces in Highly Degraded Environments: Ensuring Trusted, Resilient Data in the Face of Data Warfare (Phase 2)