A new system developed by NUI Maynooth on behalf of Dublin City Development Board and Dublin City Council enables the targeting of those most in need of social services.
Using new Small Area data units researchers can track which parts of the city are experiencing the largest growth in Live Register claimants. In addition, by utilising geo-directory and travel to work data they can map which areas are well and poorly served by services such as hospitals, schools, public transport, and recreational facilities. The maps show that areas of already high unemployment are also the areas of the highest number of new claims and that these areas are often poorly served by public services.
The research was undertaken by NIRSA (the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis) and published by Dublin City Development Board and Dublin City Council. Live Register data analysed at the Small Area scale can help governments target resources through investment and social inclusion programmes to where they are needed most.
Rob Kitchin “Small Area data is a new, better and more accurate way of looking at the world around us. It takes the guess work out of what are vital social and fiscal investment decisions. In tough economic times there has never been more of an imperative to make sure we get these decisions right and that efficient use is made of the money available, making sure it actually serves the population it’s targeted at. We are developing a laser, where before all we had was a broad brush.”
Up to now, planning and evaluation for social inclusion programmes has been done through the five-yearly census which are quickly outdated and inaccurate in terms of the level of information they provide. Small Areas data has the following advantages:
It’s more focused - census research is typically undertaken at County or Electoral Division scale (typically 3,000 to 4,000 people, but often many more). Small Areas are at a scale of 100 – 120 households
It is richer – it allows resources to be accurately deployed according to the populations that need them
It faster – census based research is done every five years and does not keep pace with change. The Live Register is updated weekly.
The research, in association with the Ballyfermot/ Chapelizod Partnership, and the Northside Partnership which covers Dublin North Central has shown that it is possible to produce much more high quality data than hitherto before to guide key decision making and that any government data that is geocoded can be mapped and analyzed at this scale. Such data will have widespread application with respect to formulating policy interventions with respect to social services, employment, public transport, housing, health, crime, education and training, planning, and the inter-relationships between these issues.
A number of recommendations have emerged from the study. These include:
o The development of a deprivation index that extends beyond census data to include measures of access to services and other data relating to health, housing, crime and education.
o Working with governmental departments to examine how their data can be geocoded and mapped at the Small Area scale.
o Extending the analysis to rural areas to ensure that the methods developed can be rolled out systematically for the entire state.
It is anticipated that the 2011 census will be outputted into the Small Areas, providing for the first time, a very detailed understanding of the micro-geography of the social and economic landscape of Ireland. Such data will significantly improve the evidence base used in the formulation of government policy.
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