CLG backs open data initiative

The Making a Difference with Data initiative has launched a website, MadwDATA.org , about how local information and data is being used to affect services in six key areas. They are health and social care; local government; housing; roads and transport; policing and criminal justice; and education. Each area has an editor gathering information from a range of sources to demonstrate how local data can be used, for example, by publishing and disseminating it, to support local campaigns and influence decision-making. The organisers said the idea is that people will have more information about how services are run and how they can change things that affect their lives. Among the articles currently available on the site is a report about the NHS Information Centre's linking of data and records to highlight seasonal patterns in patient deaths following discharge from hospital. Tim Straughan, the NHS Information Centre chief executive, said that the venture will enable comparisons between deaths inside and outside a hospital for different procedures and diagnoses. "We intend to build on the summary findings to provide even more detailed information in the future, which will help the NHS to plan services effectively and offer high quality patient care," he said. The site will also include guidance material for citizens who want to campaign or investigate a local issue. A group of speakers will be recruited and briefed to tell local conferences and events, on a voluntary basis, about the benefits of releasing public data. In addition to Communities and Local Government, Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands and the Local Public Data Panel are providing funding for the scheme. Janet Hughes, head of scrutiny for the London assembly, a member of the Local Public Data Panel and a member of the initiative's steering group, said: "Huge amounts of public data are now being published, and there is more to come. But what difference does it make to people's lives? "MadwDATA.org will help people find, interpret and use public data to make government more effective, more responsive and more accountable. Whether you are an interested member of the public, a local community activist, an elected representative or a public body MadwDATA.org will be useful to you and will get more so as more resources are added to the site." This article is published by Guardian Professional.