What we do
Our goal is to improve the quality and availability of the UK’s public data - that is, data collected, published or regulated by the Government.
We work on policy areas across Government, prioritising those where:
Better public data would really support better outcomes
Better public data is technically and practically feasible
We can work collaboratively with experts in the area, to understand how data can help them.
We have three key work areas: data in policy, data gaps, and data infrastructure.
Data in policy
All modern legislation needs to reflect the opportunities and obligations that Government has to collect and publish data. When new policy is being made, we try to ensure that it has the data provisions it needs to be successful. This could include:
provisions to collect and publish performance data, on how the policy is working
provisions to collect and publish operational data, which can create huge value for civil society and business
technical provisions about database implementation.
Although provisions on data are typically an afterthought during the policymaking process, they can be vital for success of the policy and for creating broader value. We aim to provide technical expertise to support policymakers to deliver their goals.
Data gaps
Our work on data gaps focuses on areas where a lack of public data or statistics mean that questions of significant public interest cannot be answered.
Data gaps might exist due to a deliberate choice by the Government, or because publishing certain data isn’t seen as a policy priority, or just that the right structures or technologies aren’t in place.
Data gaps tend not to get written about much, for the obvious reason that it's hard to report on numbers that don't exist. But if we don't gather and report data, we can't spot where services are failing; we can't track performance over time; and fundamentally, we can't improve people's lives.
Examples of our work in this field include criminal justice data and health statistics.
Data infrastructure
If data is to meet the needs of our Government, businesses, and citizens, we first need to make sure that the right systems are in place to collect, share and use it.
We want to see good data practice embedded across Whitehall. This will involve sustained and coordinated efforts across Government to develop a comprehensive data strategy that makes collecting and publishing data an automatic feature of policymaking.
Examples of our work in this field include data for evaluation and UK address data.
If you’re interested in supporting our work, or have any questions, please get in touch at contact@centreforpublicdata.org.