1. Open Data – What’s the potential?
Using data to drive investment
HACT Seminar Birmingham 6th November 2012
Prof Robert Barr OBE
Manchester Geomatics, University of Liverpool
APPSI and ODUG
manchester.geomatics
THEORY INTO PRACTICE

2. Where I’m going…..
Social policy goes spatial
Putting tenants in context
Tenants on the map
What do we have to gain?
Making use of Open Data
Conclusions

3. Social policy goes spatial

4. Rediscovering poverty
• Social policy is marked by periodic realizations
that:
– Society is becoming more unequal
– The ‘poor’ are being left behind
• Characterized by individual households in
poverty
• Areas where poor households are
concentrated

5. …… however
• Even when inequality peaks
– Most deprived individuals do not live in deprived
areas
– Most of those living in ‘deprived’ areas are not
deprived

6. Putting tenants in context

7. Tenant information
• Best at point of let
– CORE
• Sometimes maintained

8. Asset information
• Plenty of information about property
– Type
– Size
– Energy efficiency
– Investment profile

9. Areas or Households
• Many housing policies are area based e.g.:
– Housing Action Areas
– Housing Market Renewal
• …alongside other area based policies
– Educational Priority Areas
– Inner Cities Programme
• When the pendulum swings:
– Troubled Families initiative

10. Tenants on the map

11. Closed approach
• Buy proprietary Geographical Information
System:
– ESRI ArcMap
– MapInfo
• Buy proprietary data
– Ordnance Survey
– Experian
– Royal Mail
• Hire an ‘expert’
– In-house or a service company /consultant

12. Open approach
• Use open source software
– e.g. Quantum GIS or PostGIS
– or an Open Platform (though many are Freemium)
• Use open data
– ONS NESS data, ONSPD
– Ordnance Survey Open Data
– Open Street Map
• Hire an ‘expert’
– In-house or a service company / consultant

13. Making Use of Open Data

17. What do we have to gain?

18. What do we have to gain?
• Gaining control of our own data and
information
• Getting a better understanding of Social
Return on Investment
• Being able to relate the impact of work with
tenants on areas
• Being able to relate the impact of area based
initiatives on tenants

19. What do we have to gain?
• Being able to make better investment
decisions based on evidence
• Getting an early warning of area based
problems e.g. reduction in demand

20. Conclusions

21. Conclusions
Social landlords have always needed to place
their tenants in context:
But
•Too expensive
•Too difficult
•Didn’t know what they would do with the
knowledge

22. Conclusions
The combination of Open data and a managed
platform overcomes many of these obstacles.
Platform provides an opportunity to share best
practice and benchmark performance against
others in a safe and confidential environment.
Costs of development and analysis can be
shared

23. That’s it!
Prof Robert Barr OBE
robert_barr@manchestergeomatics.com