Our solution*

Really Useful Data Day Local DirectGov 1 July 2011

*The problem we want to solve

Lots of data relating to local areas and no clear definition of what's required Issues with Pooling it and making it publicly available in an accessible, reusable way Issues also with maintaining local data in terms of expense of updating local information sources and complexity of sourcing and converting third party data So data isn't used to full effect - to join dots between service priorities and performance/ outcomes; or to present public sector data alongside other sources, inside third party tools (such as hyper local sites) Problem for data owners, research units, analysts, corporate performance managers and increasingly Senior Managemenet Team as data demands grow Local Informatin Systems owners agree that data management is too expensive and complex Some evidence that external suppliers such as Knowledge Hub are moving to reolve these issues

The problem
Lots of data for local areas No single place to find it and bring it together Costly and time consuming to maintain it Different audiences will have different needs

Data status
Common geography references But what about cross-boundary areas
and locally defined areas

Where can we store locally produced

data - is there a central store?

Common data standards and definitions Internal paranoia

Whats the solution?

Re-use what's already there APIs from Nomis and NeSS Identify key datasets (population, deprivation, education, crime) Start small - data can be added incrementally. Identify where the local data are going to be stored so that it can be re-used by others. Could central government provide this? Or the Knowledge Hub? There will still be a need for the 'expert' to guide the user

Tech Spec
APIs Linked data - but this will need a new
approach to data

Does RDF meet the requirements?

Should we stick with database tables and spreadsheets?

Outcomes
One outcome wil be a demonstration of
the value of bringing all these different data together

A more long lasting outcome will be the

data store

Use the demonstrator as a self-help tool

for the community to better understand and use data

Why our solution is really useful!

It saves time (and money!) It automates a lot of the process so the
data are always up to date

Engages residents and communities