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Local government is opening up more and more data on how services are provided, where they’re provided and how much they cost to provide.

But just opening data is not enough.

We need to look at how communities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises can make use of this data, explore it, combine it with their own information, to help build a bigger, truer picture, to help with funding & finance, influencing, proving need…

DataBridge is a collaborative project to explore these ideas. It’s led by Jo Ivens, an ex-VCS sector, former civil servant in the Cabinet Office’s Office for Civil Society, who is passionate about the voluntary sector and social enterprise and its ability to change lives. Technical expertise is provided by Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI), a spin-out research consultancy from the University of Oxford. OCSI develop and interpret the evidence base to help the public sector and other organisations deliver better services to the public. Further advice, support and local expertise provided by Brighton CVS Forum.

We’re looking at ways we can work with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors to:

* identify relevant data
* ask the right questions to get manageable and relevant results
* add in their own data to help improve evidence
* get a useable product to help their organisation
* identify gaps in data and gaps in knowledge about using data

We intend to share the journey on-line; to use what we learn to work with local government to improve the way in which they open their data; and to look at how government data enhanced with voluntary sector expertise can help deliver better services.

Sound interesting? Want to chat? Get in touch…

By email at info@databridge.org.uk
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