Cumbria Intelligence Observatory: Cumbria Atlas

1. Cumbria Intelligence Observatory:Cumbria Atlas Rebecca Raw: Research, Information & Intelligence Officer

2. Cumbria • 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Cumbria Atlas Cumbria Atlas Data Sets:

10. 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.

11. 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. • .

12. 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. • .

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. Issues and Challenges Tips • Keeping information up to date across multiple atlases – development of master spread sheet with links; • Balance of datasets to be included - volume vs. relevance. • 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.