The Data Science for Local Government project seeks to map and understand the use of both novel data analysis techniques and novel data sources in local governments across Europe. The primary objective is to get more of an idea of where and why these technologies are being used, and what the impacts are.
As part of the first phase of the project, we are seeking to survey individuals working for local governments across Europe. Some of these people might use information technology or data analysis directly in their work (e.g. policy analysts, statistical officers). Others might make use of data and analysis produced by others to make decisions or direct policy. If you feel like this describes you, please consider taking part! The survey contains only 9 questions and can be completed in 5-10 minutes. You may find the survey here.
The survey will soon be available in French, Spanish and Italian in addition to the English version available above.
If you would like more information, please contact Dr Jonathan Bright at jonathan.bright@oii.ox.ac.uk.
Data science is an emerging field with the potential to help local policymakers to deliver services, plan, and manage communities more efficiently by equipping them with better information and analysis techniques. It might be particularly important for small and medium sized cities that might not have the same resources as major cities. While data science is increasingly recognised as an important part of contemporary governance in cities, little is known about what techniques are used and what effects they have for local government. Our survey seeks to fill this gap by drawing on the insights of local government officials across Europe and the UK.
The fact that data science is still quite new has led to a lack of academic attention to this sector. Our study hopes to understand why cities choose to use data science techniques, the software they use for data analysis, the divisions and sectors of local government that use data science, and the impacts that data science has on service delivery and policy making. In addition, we hope to better understand how data science methods, ideas, and techniques move between cities as well as the roles of the private sector and civil society in this agenda. Finally, we seek to better understand who benefits from data science in local government.
We look forward to addressing these issues through the survey.
Data science in local government uses novel techniques to make government more efficient in targeting resources. This project aims to explain the spread of data science methods in the local government context and to understand their impact.
