Cumbria Intelligence Observatory:
Cumbria Atlas
Rebecca Raw:
Research, Information & Intelligence Officer
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Cumbria
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2nd Largest County in England;
Six Districts;
Two National Parks;
50% Rural Communities;
Urban Areas - City of Carlisle,
Barrow, Kendal, Whitehaven,
Workington, Penrith, Maryport,
and Ulverston;
• 168 CAS Wards.
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Inequalities
County averages mask significant
variation across wards;
Example: Life Expectancy:
• England & Wales = 80.2 years;
• Cumbria = 79.9 years;
• Moss Bay ward (Workington) =
71.8 years
• Greystoke ward (Eden) = 91.3
years.
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Area Profiler
• Cumbria Intelligence Observatory;
• Assist practitioners to understand
inequalities and priority areas of the
county;
• ‘Area Profiler’ – Microsoft Excel;
• 2010 Consultation – Updating the Area
Profiler;
• Desire to use Geographic Visualisation
Software.
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Why Use Geographic Visualisation Software?
Visualising and Interacting with Data:
• Enhances communication - makes trends and relationships
within large amounts of data much clearer;
• Engages users –interactive, flexible and user friendly format.
More accessible format results in:
• Increased use by decision makers; leading to…
• Understanding of inequalities and priority areas of the county;
supporting…
• More informed decision making.
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Why Instant Atlas?
• Used by Cumbria PCT– Consistent approach to information reporting
locally;
• Used by many Local Authorities and PCTs in the UK
– Including neighbouring LAs in the North West
– Consistency, support and best practice (active user group);
• Easy to use – Ready made templates, straight forward publishing process,
doesn’t require specialist knowledge;
• Flexible – Can define your own geographies and use your own datasets;
• Portable - Can be published on the web, emailed, distributed on CD;
• Low cost.
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Initial Developments
• Development of initial ‘core’ atlas
– ‘Cumbria Atlas’
– Key facts and figures as per original area profiler;
• Testing and feedback - Observatory partners;
- Make it simple and intuitive;
• Published live on Observatory website;
• Feedback from initial users;
• First demonstrations to Policy Network & Scrutiny Practitioners.
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Cumbria Atlas
Cumbria Atlas Web Page:
http://www.cumbriaobservatory.org.uk/AboutCumbria/Atlas/CumbriaAtlas.asp
Three formats:
• Single Map - Select a local data set and
compare areas across the county in relation to
that data set;
• Double Map - Select two local data sets and
compare areas across the county in relation
to both data sets, considers the relationship
between the two data sets;
• Area Profiler - Select areas within the county
and view all data sets relating to those areas.
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Cumbria Atlas
Cumbria Atlas Data Sets:
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Cumbria Child Poverty Atlas
Cumbria Atlas Web Page:
http://www.cumbriaobservatory.org.uk/AboutCumbria/Atlas/CumbriaAtlas.asp
Cumbria Child Poverty Page:
http://www.cumbriaobservatory.org.uk/antipoverty/childpoverty.asp
Same three formats as Cumbria Atlas for
consistency;
Data sets associated with Child Poverty;
Linked promotion of atlas to Child
Poverty work stream.
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Statutory Assessment Atlases
• Community Safety Assessment – Community Safety Atlas,
October 2011;
• Joint Strategic Needs Assessment – Health & Wellbeing Atlas,
in development;
• Local Economic Assessment Refresh - Economic Atlas, to be
developed March 2012.
.
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Directorate Atlases
Adult and Local Services Atlas:
• Performance Improvement Team within Adults and Local Services;
• Contextual information & service user data;
• Evidence base for developing district plans to target services;
• To be merged into Health & Wellbeing Atlas as part of JSNA.
Children’s Centre Footprint, Childcare Sufficiency Assessment and Children’s
Services Atlases:
• Children’s Services Information Team;
• Contextual information, service user and survey data;
• 3rd party contractors – demonstrate planning based on evidence;
• Children’s Centre Staff & Ofsted – identifying successful interventions and
tackling issues.
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Current & Future Developments
• Further development and maintenance of Cumbria Atlas, statutory
assessment atlases, and directorate atlases;
• Linking into planning processes – Key resource for Area Planning;
• Addition of further service user data;
• Time series template;
• 2011 Census Outputs Atlas;
• Link to emerging priorities – i.e. youth unemployment.
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Feedback
• Key stats held in one place presented in one consistent way;
• Informs planning processes and targeting of resources,
particularly important when resources are limited;
• Supports transparency;
• Supports local decision making;
• Makes synergies clear for partners – relationships between
their key measures, highlights localities most in need across
services, makes the case for joint working.
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Issues and Challenges
• Keeping information up to date across multiple atlases –
development of master spread sheet with links;
• Balance of datasets to be included - volume vs. relevance.
Tips
• Start with a core set of indicators, get them published, then
expand based on need;
• Linking to statutory assessments and current / emerging
priorities means information is relevant and your atlas is
promoted through associated work streams;
• Themed atlases give ownership of data to partners, gets their
buy in, encourages them to act as champions for you.
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