Presentation given to MySociety, 04/11/2014. Overview. In locally accountable organisations should anything be ‘secret’?  Inherent need for researchers to communicate Recognition of a broad audience for research Being open is the best way to link between agendas

1. Cambridgeshire Insight
Being Open
Cambridgeshire Research Group
Michael Soper & Hendrik Grothuis

2. Ground Rules 
• Yes we work for Cambridgeshire County
Council but…
• We represent a diverse function
• Views / opinions are expressed are our own

3. Origins
• In locally accountable organisations should
anything be ‘secret’?
• Inherent need for researchers to communicate
• Recognition of a broad audience for research
• Being open is the best way to link between
agendas

4. Changing Attitudes
• Move from being accountable to politicians
et al to being accountable to communities
“Accountability won't be driven by opposition politicians, quangocrats,
journalists or pressure groups in Westminster. Bang go many of those
expensive national bean-counters, beavering away to ensure taxpayers'
money is being spent effectively and wisely.
Instead, the idea is that pressure will come from the great British public -
at local level.”
BBC Commentator writing on the Big Society several years ago

5. How far do you trust the crowd?
• Petitions on the number 10 website!

6. Light Bulb Moments
• Research that changes the world!

7. Understanding how to use information in
decision making
• Relational: Interface between research, policy and practice

8. Understanding how to use
information in decision making
• Practical: quality / timing / presentation
Good quality decisions
Fit for purpose information
Good quality data
Requires
Requires
Influences
Influences
Adapted from ‘In The Know’, The Audit Commission 2008

9. Cambridgeshire Insight is a partnership shared knowledge base
for the Cambridgeshire area. It allows users an easy way to:
• Access and share data, information and research.
• Find and download reports.
• Discover research intelligence for deeper insights about their
local area.
• Provide information to act as a valuable planning tool to
support strategic planning for the growth and development
of services in the county and surrounding areas.
www.cambridgeshireinsight.org.uk

10. User Stories/Audience
Partners/Members
• New and intuitive ways to report information.
• Enhance user experience, making information engaging.
• Enhances value of local data and community knowledge and how we communicate with
the public.
Public realm
• Explore local information in a way that suits them.
• Easier for audiences to see local patterns/trends data.
• Greater understanding of local issues.
Officers
• Relatively low cost & short skill learning curve for local officers to implement.
• Flexible and portable solution, enabling new ways of working.
• Complements existing work (standard web pages, data and PDF documents).
• Facilitates evidence led policy leading to greater local insights.
Commercial
• Data feeds
• The most up-to-date local data
• Latest research available?

11. Questions from the site
• “am contacting you as an artist and facilitator putting a bid together. Myself and [x], are
writing a funding application for an arts/health and culture programme. I would love to use
the data you have collected to evidence 'health and wellbeing' needs in the Abbey area of
Cambridge”
• “What would be very useful for me is a map of Cambridgeshire, and Peterborough if
possible, which shows the wards and the schools located in the wards. I have attached the
Luton one I use as an example, I realise that this is quite detailed, i.e. its break schools down
into types, which I would not need”
• “I am trying to provide an analysis of affordable housing stock owned by Registered
Providers in Cambridge City, South Cambs and East Cambs. The only affordable housing
dataset is completions. Do you have any other data I could look at?”
• “I am currently trying to locate the most commonly spoken languages in Cambridgeshire
(including Peterborough) however it is proving difficult. Please could you point me in the
right direction and to the relevant stats?”

12. Questions from the site
• “I was wondering if you might be able to help. I'm trying to find an estimate figure for the
number of families in Cambridge (households with one or more children under 18).”
• “we are in the early stages of pulling together a stock condition survey. The traditional
method would normally involve procuring a company to survey 1000 or so properties and
provide a modelled report on the condition of rented properties across the City. What we
are looking at using the desktop modelling method for this and use the savings by doing so
to expand the depth of report.”
• “I wonder if you could help us we are after knowing postcodes per super output area,
Ofsted are requiring more and more information filtered down to SOA’s”
• “I've being looking online for Longstowe village details of age groups for 2011 census. I can
see District and Ward data, but not parish data. Is it available online, if not can you possibly
give me the breakdown of ages in the village. I am a member of the village hall committee,
and this info would help us in arranging activities in the village. “