Open Data and Service Costs

There are now starting to be a number of regular publications and feed of incident data that are being published by authorities on various portals. This has been making us all think how all of the incidents are serviced. Fly tipping data published by DEFRA is a great example – see here.

The sheer number of reported incidents is staggering across the UK – almost 750,000 over 12 months.

Whilst these datasets are designed for people to review and analyse the national picture, in this case by local authority, it does make you think how services are being designed at the local level and how activity is reported. For example in Sheffield City Council MBC there were over 50,000 reported incidents, but in Dudley MBC, just 745!

I guess many Environment Services teams are looking to see how this kind of service could be serviced more efficiently, especially with reduced funding and manpower. Many of us see incidents of fly-tipping on our journeys to work or walks at the weekend. There are regular spots.  I’m sure that the activity will be mapped and clustered, but is this information then fed into proactive action to prevent this happening, or into the operational delivery of the clean up?