Local Futures Website - Local Information System

There are many Local Information Systems around, and they don't come cheap. According to a review by CLG, "The average development cost for systems is £95,500; average running costs are £59,800 per annum. Development costs ranged from less than £10,000 to nearly £500,000, annual running costs had a similar relatively broad spread between £5,000 and £150,000 per annum."

(Local Information Systems: A review of their role, characteristics and benefits, Summary)

Our SMART Observatories are a cost-effective way to build your own Local Information System.

Built on the Local Futures Group's successful Local Knowledge web platform SMART Observatories provide a state-of-the-art solution to meeting local information needs. Using the latest internet technology they are a simple and convenient way of making spatial information available to a wide range of users. Observatories can be created for a specific city or region, or can be designed to meet specialist sector needs.

How do they work?
SMART Observatories utilise the web to link complex geographic databases to a range of easy-to-use analytical tools. Users can create thematic maps and generate league tables of the best and worst performers. They can also be used to compare local and regional performance and create local area profiles, identifying nearest neighbours.

What sort of data?
Content of the Observatories is tailored to meet specific local needs. Some of the data will be drawn from our 'Local Knowledge' database, allowing benchmarking and comparison with other parts of the country. However, some data is likely to be sourced locally - from a range of partner organisations - and designed to meet specific policy and research needs. The data is likely to be held at a variety of geographic levels, from district through to ward and neighbourhood level.

Who are they for?
All applications are simple to use and outputs are designed to bring the data and analysis to life. Access levels can be controlled by the client, with some information made available to the public and other information password protected, for use only by authorised users. SMART Observatories can be designed to meet specific policy needs, for example informing and monitoring a Regional Economic Strategy or local Sustainable Community Strategy.

Why are they important?
SMART Observatories have been designed to support a range of national and local policy needs. They act as a common information platform for use by local partners - encouraging data sharing, joined-up thinking and local e-governance. Not least they provide a simple and cost effective solution for local information management.

Dawn (Data About West Norfolk) has been developed by Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council to support a range of partner-related activities. It supports the work of the Local Strategic Partnership and is designed both to inform and monitor local policies and to aid in the targeting of services.

The Halton Observatory allows partners in the Halton Strategic Partnership to pool and share information on Halton and its local communities.

Hull Cityknowledge allows partners in Hull's Local Strategic Partnership to pool and share information and knowledge. It provides access to a wide range of information on Hull and its communities, and an easy-to-use interactive toolkit for analysing the data

Nottinghamshire Knowledge allows partners across Nottinghamshire to pool and share information and knowledge. It provides interactive access to a wide range of information on the county and its local communities, for a range of research and policy purposes.

Thames Gateway Knowledge Platform Developed for the Thames Gateway London Partnership and sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Thames Gateway Knowledge Platform provides a unique evidence base to underpin the successful and sustainable development of the Gateway.

For further information about SMART observatories and how to develop one, please contact us at info@localfutures.com