User guide
Release notes
Version 1.2 of the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate of Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) Investment Explorer introduces enhancements to improve data clarity, ensure alignment with current congressional boundaries and strengthen consistency across visualizations, exports and drill-down data.
What's new?
Map view
- Updated congressional district boundaries:
The map now reflects the 119th Congressional District boundaries, ensuring investment data aligns with current congressional representation. Updated boundaries incorporate changes across five states (AL, GA, LA, NY, NC).
- Refined subaward functionality:
Enhancements to the subaward toggle ensure that organization counts, map results, exports and drill-down links dynamically reflect whether subawards are included. This provides a clearer distinction between lead awardees and the broader investment footprint.
- Improved export consistency:
Exported files now reflect selected filters and the subaward toggle state, ensuring downloaded data matches what is displayed in the TIP Investment Explorer.
- NSF EPSCoR alignment with drill-down:
NSF EPSCoR filter selections now carry through accurately to the Pure drill-down view, improving consistency between the NSF TIP Investment Explorer and underlying award data.
- Filter alignment updates:
The "Active Programs" filter has been removed to streamline the interface. Remaining filters have been refined to improve clarity and usability.
Impact view (beta)
- Quarterly data refresh alignment:
Impact metrics are now aligned with a formal quarterly refresh cadence to ensure continued accuracy and consistency of displayed data. Impact view uses NSF data that is updated on a routine schedule within the Pure‑powered TIP visualization environment, which updates data daily and the impact view quarterly.
- Expanded fiscal year coverage (FY 2012-FY 2025)
The impact view presentation layer, summary metrics and award period text have been updated to reflect the expanded fiscal year range through FY 2025.
Version 1.1 of the TIP Investment Explorer introduces enhancements for a clearer and smoother user experience.
What's new?
Map view
- New county and Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) map views provide increased options for viewing the map.
- New active programs filter allows users to view active programs.
- Updates to the search functionality enable a smoother search experience.
- Enhancements to the side panel clarify the year parameters of the data shown on the map.
- Updates to the export file clarify the dataset.
Impact view (beta)
- Enhancements to the tool tips allow users to see the relevant KTAs and TIP programs when hovering over impact metrics.
Version 1.0 of the TIP Investment Explorer introduces new ways to explore U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) investment and subaward activity.
What's new?
Map view
- Subawards and new interactive connections: Subawards now appear as open circles on the map; hovering allows users to see the subaward connections to the lead organization.
- New region summary and total investment: The side panel now displays summary details by region, as well as the amount of NSF funding associated with the selected key technology area (KTA) or NSF TIP program.
- Organization types: Tool tips on awards now include organization type (e.g., for-profit; institution of higher education; nonprofit; state, tribal or local government).
- Distribution by investment amount: Below the summary metrics are two new visuals depicting total investment distribution. The first chart shows the total investment across KTAs. Each color-coded segment represents a KTA. Similarly, the second chart shows the total investment across TIP programs. Each color-coded segment represents a TIP program.
- Dynamic bubbles: KTAs and TIP programs are now listed with bubbles sized proportionally to their share of the total investment, providing an at-a-glance visual of relative funding levels.
- TIP programs are now organized under three strategies: accelerate critical and emerging technologies, expand the geography of American innovation, and build a competition-ready workforce. A fourth section in the TIP Investment Explorer includes additional investments that fall outside of the three strategies.
Impact view (beta)
- Navigation button: A new button in the upper right corner of the side panel allows users to explore the Impact View, featuring a Sankey visualization that illustrates the flow between TIP programs and KTAs (and vice versa).
- Metrics: Early metrics include startups launched, jobs created and follow-on funding.
- This limited beta view only includes investment data from two TIP programs — NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) and Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer. NSF intends to scale this beta view to include other programs in future releases. Data displayed from both programs are national aggregates of programmatic investments across the United States.