The power of big data in understanding & shaping community development
Working in people-centric industries means you are always trying to understand your audience; what do they have, what are they missing, what could have a positive impact on their lives? The problem is, humans are complex, and insights within one facet of behaviour will only get you so far. Luckily for us, we live in the age of data, where we are literally swimming in information that can help us make more informed decisions.
In fact, a report by the New Local Government Network suggests that if councils fail to understand and harness the power of data they risk making themselves irrelevant to their citizens. The UK Government rightly sought to overcome this challenge by releasing the National Geospatial Strategy in 2020. But Local Authorities are facing a grand challenge, how can they filter through the noise and convert vast amounts of data into usable and implementable outcomes?
Using geospatial & big data to quickly benchmark and compare London wards
Taking on this challenge, we set out to create a framework which we could use to assess the ‘health’ of communities across London on a range of features from economics to health/wellbeing. We built up a catalogue of information ranging from the number of quarterly home sales (which would give us an idea of how stable communities are) to access to green space measures. Altogether, our Community Audit Tool uses data across 22 measures for each of the 633 wards within London (explore our free to access version).
One of the starkest findings from our audit was that even wards close to each other scored very differently. For example, South Twickenham is the highest scoring ward within London, with Syon, only 4km away being the lowest scoring. But the picture is not that simple. For example, both wards have average performing social housing quality, but if you reside in South Twickenham, you are likely to live on average 9 years longer than in Syon. This would suggest that one of the priorities for Syon is to implement interventions to reduce this health inequality.
This data is good at identifying overarching issues, but another layer is necessary to extract more impactful insights. For example, in Syon, we know heath inequality is an issue, but what interventions are needed to reduce this? Here you would need to dig deeper, surveying residents to identify what specific health needs are not being met. The combination of big and localised data allows investments to be extremely targeted, which for cash strapped local authorities is ideal to achieve the most efficient and effective positive outcomes.
The need for more robust resources and tools
Unfortunately, the infrastructure surrounding open and geospatial data needs to be regularly maintained for these exercises to continue and remain relevant. For example, the Community Life Survey, focusing on social action and community empowerment, was last undertaken in 2016. A lot has happened since that time! This data has well and truly gone past its ‘sell by date’ and is therefore less suitable for use in decision-making. There are, however, some ‘glimmers of hope’, the success of certain schemes, such as the London Datastore, now past its 10th year anniversary, is testament to the power big data can have on society.
Big data tools like our Community Audit Tool are critical, as they allow KPI benchmarks to be created across different groups, demographics, or in this case communities. In doing so, we can build up an accurate and objective picture of what the data is telling us. Yet, this is just the beginning. In our case, we designed the tool to be combined with our proprietary localised research solutions to create robust and future proof place-based propositions. Distilling data into insight is critical for local and governmental authorities to pursue more directed interventions, ultimately shaping better places that cater and respond to the needs of its community.
If you’re curious to learn more about MindFolio, check out their website at www.mindfolio.com
Georgina Maratheftis
Georgina Maratheftis
Georgina is techUK’s Associate Director for Local Public Services
Georgina works with suppliers that are active or looking to break into the market as well as with local public services to create the conditions for meaningful transformation. techUK regularly bring together local public services and supplier community to horizon scan and explore how the technologies of today and tomorrow can help solve some of the most pressing problems our communities face and improve outcomes for our people and places.
Prior to techUK, Georgina worked for a public policy events company where she managed the policy briefing division and was responsible for generating new ideas for events that would add value to the public sector. Georgina worked across a number of portfolios from education, criminal justice, and health but had a particular interest in public sector transformation and technology. Georgina also led on developing relationships across central and local government.
If you’d like to learn more about techUK, or want to get involved, get in touch.
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Ileana Lupsa
Ileana Lupsa
Ileana Lupsa is the Programme Manager for Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, at techUK.
Ileana studied electronics, telecommunications and IT as an undergraduate, followed by an MSc in engineering and project management at Coventry University.
She refined her programme management expertise through her most recent roles working in the automotive industry.
Ileana is passionate about sustainability and creating a positive impact globally through innovation.
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- [email protected]
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- @IleanaLupsa
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- www.techUK.org
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- www.linkedin.com/in/ileana-lupsa
