Planted as a seed by two Sanibel businessmen post-Hurricane Ian to map the recovery of the islands \u2014 originally named Sanibel Solutions \u2014 the SanCap360 Community Health Dashboard has evolved.<\/p>\n
Through collaboration with the city of Sanibel, SanCap Chamber, Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) and Hammerhead Technology, it provides \u201cvaluable data and insights that support informed decision-making, community wellbeing, resilience, and the long-term vitality of Sanibel and Captiva,\u201d according to a city council proclamation passed on June 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vision for the Community Health Dashboard originated with island residents Doug Congress and Eric Pfeifer, whose commitment to strengthening the Sanibel and Captiva community inspired the project,\u201d CFI Executive Director Dolly Farrell, which provided support through its Community Impact Fund, said. \u201cWe extend our sincere gratitude to the generous donors and supporters of the Community Impact Fund, whose investment in innovative, community-driven solutions continues to strengthen our island community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through a partnership, Florida Gulf Coast University\u2019s (FGCU) Ain Technology & Design Hub helped bring the vision to life by developing a prototype of the dashboard. FGCU professor and Sanibel resident Brian Rist was instrumental in connecting the university with the islands and fostering the collaboration.<\/p>\n
Building on that early vision, Hammerhead Technology designed and developed an entirely new platform to bring SanCap360 to life and now collects, manages and maintains the data behind it. The dashboard\u2019s website is populated with a wealth of information focused on four pillars: Economy, Community Wellbeing, Environment, and Infrastructure & Services.<\/p>\n
Along with CFI, the city and chamber each provide equal funding to keep SanCap360 current and accessible. Hammerhead Technology provided in-kind services to support the development and launch.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a business standpoint, SanCap360 is invaluable to our members \u2014 tabulating everything from real estate listings and sales, to bed taxes and employment rate,\u201d chamber President and Executive Officer John Lai said. \u201cTraffic, weather, education: This is truly the big picture of island life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSanCap360 is an important tool that helps us better understand the economic health of our community,\u201d City Manager Dana Souza said. \u201cBy bringing together reliable, up-to-date information in one place, the dashboard provides valuable insights that will inform decision-making across multiple sectors. SanCap360 demonstrates the power of collaboration and data-sharing to support economic resilience, strengthen strategic planning, and contribute to the community\u2019s long-term success.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a Sanibel-based company, we built SanCap360 to give our own community a clear, trustworthy picture of island life,\u201d Hammerhead Technology head conservation technologist Corrie Presland-Byrne said. \u201cWe engineered it as a platform from the ground up \u2014 one that keeps getting richer as data is added and provides transparency through authoritative data sources.\u201d<\/p>\n
To view the SanCap360 Community Health Dashboard, visit sancap360.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Limited sponsorships are available for the platform.<\/p>\n For more information, contact Lai at 239-472-2348 or John@sanibel-captiva.org.<\/p>\n