vizLib : Developing Capacity for Exploratory Analysis in Local Government - Visualization of Library Usage Data

Lead Research Organisation: City, University of London
Department Name: Information Science

Abstract

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Description Considerable skills were developed through the UPTAP fellowship, predominantly using the processing environment for data visualisation. This allowed us to develop interactive graphics through which an overview of the libraries data set was quickly obtained and to ask a huge number of local and specific questions of the data to inform its use.



These queries resulted in various hypotheses regarding population trends and processes in Leicestershire relating to: the importance of transportation networks, geographical features and the spatial behaviour of customers using the service.



Notably plots revealing:

that performance and user profiles varies considerably across the 54 libraries in the county;

where 'best customers' live; and

variations across the county in terms of usage patterns with which secondary information could be used to explain and make predictions about usage by area.



The project also generated considerable excitement within the organization, and Leicestershire CC has invested in further secondary data exploration and analysis using visualization in other policy areas - notably in the development of a sustainable transport policy and in subsequent work with the giCentre on geodemographics and green spaces.



Collaboration between City University London and Leicestershire County Council is ongoing, and resulted in a paper awarded the Best Paper prize at the GIS Research UK conference in 2010 and a successful exhibit in the 2010 IEEE VisWeek Discovery Exhibition.
Exploitation Route This was work with immediate application. The graphics and techniques developed and competencies enabled have resulted in graphics being used in a number of situations within the County Council, for example in the "Delivering a Sustainable Transport System in Leicestershire" (DaSTS) an evidence informed Leicestershire's Local Transport Plan (LTP) for 2011-2016.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport
URL http://www.lsr-online.org/data-visualization.html
 
Description Our on-going relationship with Leicestershire County Council (LCC), developed out of the vizLib fellowship, has resulted in information visualisation being established at the core of the organisation's use of data - which is increasingly being used to inform decisions (http://bit.ly/13Px67X). It has resulted in a wide and pioneering uptake of visualization in LCC that they describe as supporting "situation driven data use". Visualization approaches introduced by and developed with City are being used in numerous departments (Performance; Research; Public Health; Museums; Climate Action Team) for various purposes (scrutinising expenses and mileage to make savings and reduce carbon footprint; considering social fund expenditure by area; analysing museum income). This approach is "opening up data to improve policy debates [by] enabling policy officers to analyse and discuss data on demand" and resulting in "better conversations internally and better service from Research and Insight" in an organization that employs 15,000 staff to support 600,000 residents of the East Midlands through a range of services in the context of significant pressure and cuts to its £300 million budget. Andy Robinson, Assistant Chief Executive at LCC reflects: "We're making better decisions, more informed policy and better use of our data across the organization ... The City University visualization work has been fundamental in helping us do so."
First Year Of Impact 2010
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Policy & public services
 
Description vizLib : visualization of customer library behaviour 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presentation at the BURISA/UPTAP seminar, on understanding population trends and processes: building capacity through user-academic collaboration
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
URL http://www.uptap.net/presentations/event091009/Rober%20Radford%20presentation.pdf