Rural Virginia Opportunity Dashboard

The Rural Virginia Opportunity Dashboard is a collaboration between the Virginia Rural Center and Virginia Tech’s Center for Geospatial Information Technology (CGIT) designed to empower local leaders with actionable data to strengthen rural communities across the Commonwealth.

Built by CGIT’s development and data analytics team, the dashboard integrates county- and city-level datasets on education, healthcare, workforce, broadband access, housing, and business development into a single, easy-to-use visualization platform. Its intuitive interface supports data-informed decision-making for policymakers, planners, and local organizations.

Key Features

• Interactive Mapping: Explore local trends through an interactive, scalable map environment.

• Rural Resource Index: Searchable database connecting users with available funding, programs, and resources.

• Community Comparisons: Compare performance metrics between localities to identify regional strengths and opportunities.

• Data Download and Reporting: Export tailored datasets to support grant applications, planning, and policy proposals.

Impact

The dashboard was officially launched by the Virginia Rural Center at the Tenth Annual Southwest Virginia Economic Forum (UVA–Wise, 2025). It is transforming how rural Virginia accesses and applies data—bridging the gap between information and implementation.

CGIT’s Role

CGIT led data modeling, platform design, and interface development using modern web-mapping technologies and UX principles guided by the “no instruction book needed” philosophy. The result is a tool that merges geospatial science and usability design to support sustainable, equitable growth in rural regions.

Learn more: Virginia Rural Center – Rural Virginia Opportunity Dashboard