How MIQ works
From your question to work you can defend.
Where the data comes from, how the analysis is built, and what you check before anything is published.
The path from your question to your review
- Your question
In plain language, with your own files if you have them.
- The data
Public, specialized and built by MIQ.
- The method
Documented methodology and practitioner workflows.
- The output
Every figure with its source and the period it covers.
- Your review
You verify and approve before anything is published.
1. You ask in plain language
Describe what you need the way you would brief an analyst. Upload your own files, as context or as the subject of the analysis. There is nothing to learn first.
2. MIQ works across trusted data
MIQ draws on trusted economic, workforce, government and other relevant sources, including authoritative public data from organizations such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It also uses data licensed from specialized providers for questions that standard government datasets do not answer, and analytical data that Metropolis IQ builds itself.
3. The method is documented
MIQ is built on curated and normalized data, documented methodologies and practitioner workflows. The intelligence sits above any single data source or AI model. Automated quality evaluation is part of the product.
4. Your organization's context
Prior studies, strategies and board materials shape what MIQ produces for you. Save work as projects so the context carries forward.
5. Every output shows its evidence
- Every figure carries its source and the period it covers.
- Derived measures are distinguishable from source values and explain how they were derived.
- Where data is suppressed, modeled or limited, MIQ says so.
- Where credible sources disagree, MIQ shows both.
- Where the evidence does not support a conclusion, MIQ says so rather than guessing.
6. You review it. You own it.
MIQ provides the data, the sources, the method and the limitations. You review, verify and approve the work before it is published or used in a decision, exactly as you would with any analysis your team produces.
7. MIQ and the alternatives
| How the work gets done today | What it does well | Where MIQ fits |
|---|---|---|
| How the work gets done todayA consultant | What it does wellDeep expertise, independent perspective, valuable for novel strategy | Where MIQ fitsMIQ takes on more of the recurring data collection, analysis, and reporting so consultants can focus on stakeholder engagement, facilitation, judgment, and genuinely new strategy. |
| How the work gets done todayYour own staff | What it does wellKnows the organization, community, and local context | Where MIQ fitsStaff time is the scarce resource. MIQ helps them answer more questions without rebuilding the analysis from scratch each time. |
| How the work gets done todayThe last report or study | What it does wellFamiliar, already paid for, and often still useful as context | Where MIQ fitsThe economy keeps changing. MIQ lets your team answer today's question with current evidence while still using prior work as organizational context. |
| How the work gets done todayA data subscription | What it does wellBroad access to useful data | Where MIQ fitsData is only the starting point. MIQ combines the data with the analysis, comparisons, methods, and interpretation needed to turn it into something your team can actually use. |
| How the work gets done todayChatGPT, Claude, or another general-purpose AI tool | What it does wellPowerful writing, reasoning, synthesis, and analysis across almost any subject | Where MIQ fitsMIQ comes with the economic and workforce data already built in, including specialized and licensed datasets that general-purpose AI tools may not have access to. MIQ also applies documented methods, cites the source and period behind the numbers, explains derived measures, and identifies limitations so your team can inspect and defend the analysis. |
| How the work gets done todayWaiting, or skipping the analysis | What it does wellCosts nothing today | Where MIQ fitsThe decision still has to be made. MIQ makes it practical to do the analysis while the question is still open. |
8. Questions
- Does MIQ review the analysis before I get it?
- No. MIQ provides the sources, method and limitations so your team can review, verify and approve the work.
- How current is the data?
- Every figure shows the period it covers, so you can see how recent it is.
- Do we need a separate AI subscription?
- No. MIQ Studio requires no third-party AI subscription.
- What does MIQ do when the evidence is not enough?
- It says so rather than guessing.
Judge the work on your own question.
Bring a real question. We'll work through it with you.