GeoPlace Endorses the Transformational Power of Addresses and Street Data

Transforming the way public services are delivered provides a key to delivering critical services with less. Sharing data is a cornerstone of change, but sharing data is a huge challenge in itself.

A new report from GeoPlace ‘Everything happens somewhere; address and street data a common standard for digital transformation’ provides scalable examples demonstrating how address and street data, already freely available and held within every local authority in Great Britain, can be used by councils today to save and deliver better services tomorrow.

Address and street data are the identifiers of places and where people are. They provide a common identifier to link data from a diverse range of systems and services to relate them to the same place, property, person, business or service. Bringing data together in this way saves money as it avoids duplication and provides linkages fast and efficiently, enabling ‘where’ to be utilised in a range of policy areas.

The report explains the transformational power of address and street data in a wide range of services ranging from social care, council tax, waste management, troubled families, fraud and welfare reform by examining its role in:

1. Harnessing standardised data
2. Providing a platform for interoperability
3. Reducing fragmentation
4. Using data to make savings
5. Service redesign and transformation
6. Bringing public services together

In introducing the report, Claire Holloway Head of Corporate Governance at the LGA said “This report makes a compelling case for the wider use and sharing of data and should be a must-read for anyone who wants to transform their services, make savings, and provide better citizen services”.

Jason Kitcat, independent advisor to local and national government on digital transformation and former Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council said “The examples in this report show how much more could be achieved if wider use of the fruits of GeoPlace’s work became embedded in all that public services do. This report makes a special contribution by not just setting out the case for digital transformation, but by giving real examples of how it can be done.”

Steve Brandwood, Head of Engagement at GeoPlace will be presenting the report at the GeoPlace annual conference which takes place on 28th April at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in Westminster. Other speakers at the event include the Rt Hon Matthew Hancock MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General and Nigel Clifford, Chief Executive Officer of Ordnance Survey.