Sheffield why open data matters to local government officers - tim adams lga

Why Open Data Matters to Local Government Officers

Enabling capabilities through a

Local Information InfrastructureTim Adams

Programme Manager (LGA)

@DrTimAdamsJuly 2015 www.local.gov.uk/lginformplus

Learning through sharing

• share knowledge, explore and learn about

– how to release, share and use open data through projects funded by local open data programmes

– the opportunities for open data use

– the benefit and value of open data and its use

www.local.gov.uk/lginformplus@LGInformPlus

The Landscape

• Local Government in England– 353 local authorities; 44 fire & rescue– Delivers over 1500 different services– Has over 42,000 items of data collected about it

• Data challenges– Not conventional data publishers– Business management data– Internal culture change

• Data Extent– Good impression of people and places– Transactional, personal, performance, aggregated data

across 13 functional areas


Local open data good practice

• Encouraged to use:– common tools and standards to make data

comparable – inventory schema to use a common index for

searching data– publication on data.gov.uk so that data can be

found– open data certificate: to give data some quality,

reliability and value


Overview of the infrastructure

Functions

Services

Datasets

Incentive scheme

Inventory

Schemas

Aggregator

Councils

Areas

Other...

data.gov.uk O D I certificates

Nat

ion

alL

oca

l

harvest

Neighbourhoods

Classifications

Data


Objectives of the infrastructure• Provide useful data – responding to common requests

• Keep it as simple as possible for councils• Resolve fragmentation, inconsistency and discovery• Enable data users to accurately interpret data and

aggregate it across councils

Hampshire

Durham

Sevenoaks

Leeds

Craven

Sheffield

Any council


Councils gained experience in• setting up platforms for publishing data

• developing digital skills to provide the digital infrastructure

• implementing and getting buy-in for internal sustainable

processes for publishing data

• Using common standards for comparison & combination

• engaging with users, communities, developers and business to

find out data needs and encourage the use of data

• fostering collaboration and co-design internally and externally.•

• assessing the benefit and value of data use


LG Inform Plus: providing information management services

www.local.gov.uk/lginformplus


esd standards – the home of local government semantics

standards.esd.org.uk


URI sets for classification and links

Datasets

Schemas

Data items

Def

ine

str

uct

ure

of

Co

nta

in

Local authorities

Official geographies

Neighbour-hoods

Services grouped by function

Other eg:

• Planning categories

• Entertainment types

• Procurement classifications

National mapping


Open data publishing: online guidance

www.esd.org.uk


Guidance on the scheme and schemas

Overview

Submission guidance

Planning schema

Licences schema

Toilets schema


Transparency Code Directives

http://transparency.opendata.esd.org.uk/


Results, benefits, re-useLG Inventories

LG Schemas

Harvesters & Aggregators

countrywide spreadsheets

Apps – Great British Toilet Map


Policy context

• Evidence led policy agenda– more informed decision making– identifying trends from wider samples– better collaborative processes– more positive relationships between “Smart Places”

• Leading from a demand viewpoint– increasing availability of direct data feeds - APIs– forging more data linking– more transparent processes– crowd-sourcing – wider involvement and ownership


Evidence-led viewpoint

• open and accessible data promotes– Accountability– Choice– Public sector productivity– Public sector quality (based on

performance measures)– Economic growth– Social growth


http://data.gov.uk/blog/funding-agreed-important-new-open-data-projects

http://data.gov.uk/blog/funding-agreed-important-new-open-data-projects


Demand-led viewpoint

The value of data depends on the

outcomes from its use


Value of open data“Open Data has the power to transform productivity and outcomes in public services, as well as drive enterprise value in the broader economy.”

Open Data Institute

Business Plan 2012-2017


Lessons Learned – officers’ led viewpointOpen data incentive scheme user surveyParticipants:111 – organisations291 – data sets

93 – successful organisations209 – successful data sets

61% responded to the survey

Has the exercise been of use and benefit to your organisation?

83% agreed & strongly agreed

Do you think this approach should be extended?

83% agreed & strongly agreedWould you participate again?

90% agreed & strongly agreed


Lessons Learned – challenges/potentialOpen data incentive scheme user surveyReasons for withdrawal52% – inflexible corporate IT systems48% – capacity and staffing skills available 35% – insufficient time

Potential for national working65% – see benefit & support national schemasWhat have they learnt most?

81% – stages & processes to be followed56% – shortfalls in internal governance55% – role and benefit of ODI & data.gov.uk

Full survey report at: http://e-sd.org/FYPmk

Recognising the benefits of open data and its use

Making data available and using them raised the profile of data as

an asset

Breaks down silos between departments,

organisations, citizens and communities

Improved skills as people make better

use of data

Greater insight into customer needs and demands due to

better analytics helps to improve service delivery and

performance

Councils know what data they own, reduces

duplication

Easier and faster data analysis from standardised

and linkable data


Opening performance data

over 3500 metrics


Further information

LG Inform Plus: local.gov.uk/lginformplus

Open data: opendata.esd.org.uk

Standards: standards.esd.org.uk

Technical Help: [email protected]

Open data knowledge group:

https://knowledgehub.local.gov.uk/group/localopendatacommunity

[email protected]@[email protected]

http://www.local.gov.uk/lginformplus

http://www.local.gov.uk/lginformplus

http://opendata.esd.org.uk/

http://standards.esd.org.uk/

mailto:[email protected]





http://twitter.com/DrTimAdams

http://twitter.com/DrTimAdams


Government & Nonprofit

Sheffield why open data matters to local government officers - tim adams lga