Local government leaders recently have encountered a long cycle of shortages. From job cuts to budget reductions, inspiring local communities has been challenging for leaders. But in a period of cuts, one asset—data—has done anything but plummet.

In their quest to improve results while increasing transparency and accountability, governments, both local and national, are increasingly analysing and combining data in new ways to drive better decisions for the community.

The data explosion, referred to by many as the 'untapped goldmine,' represents significant public opportunity. Delivered and exploited well, the data boon can drive natural curiosity, a better understanding of citizen needs, and more efficient use of budgets and resources. It can also aid transparency and open delivery of the information citizens and constituents need to actively partner with councils. The PSI Initiative for open and collaborative government is an example of this in action.

Yet with opportunity come challenges. One of the most significant hurdles for innovative data discovery is the complex technology platforms many councils rely on today. In response, council leaders are championing technology initiatives that are intuitive and flexible without heavy reliance on IT. They’re also demanding tools that promote creativity in problem solving. In their quest, they’re recognising the value in data visualisation technology.

How does data visualisation compare to current reporting environments? According to a research study comparing visual and auditory memorization, humans are visual beings. Of our five senses, 75% of how we understand and memorize the world is through vision. When complex information like data is delivered to us with differentiation through scale, scope and colour, we comprehend it faster. Visual information also encourages questioning.

Today many leaders and citizens are deciphering services data based on laboriously created spreadsheets. And with mountains of data to analyse, time is lost and costs escalate when reports are delivered in pasted-together rows and columns, and meaning can get ever harder to see. Looking at data bits in cells is still data, but driving actionable information requires showcasing that data in a visually meaning-rich (and pleasing) way that is easily understood and compared.

To better understand the value of data visualisation to leaders of healthcare, for example, take Leicestershire County Council. With a staff of 22,000 Leicestershire County Council cares for a population of one million residents in the rural county. The research and insight team provide actionable information to support council workers in areas as diverse as crime and community safety, economics, demography, and around both children and adult issues. The data analysis tools incorporating rapid visual analysis enables the team to have deeper conversations about the connections between data, solving more complex questions with greater speed. The team manages many different local government data sets, providing insights and answers for council staff with diverse roles such as social care workers, highway maintenance workers and librarians, with the role involving consultations with staff seeking answers from their data to drive through service roadblocks.

'We used to provide our colleagues with information around "what", and we were often unable to deliver the "why",' research and insight team leader at Leicestershire County Council, Robert Radburn, explains.

'Data analysis with visualisation has opened up greater possibilities for us by allowing staff to interrogate data and see results on-the-fly in an easily understandable format. We’re changing how people think about our data and the services we provide, because they are now enabled to ask questions and thereby drive insights that simply were too complex to see before, or to answer simpler questions much faster. It’s an exciting time as we really unleash our pre-existing data resources and make even better decisions using what we have. The more data people have the more they ask.'

The Leicestershire team manages many different local government data sets, providing insights and answers for council staff with diverse roles such as social care workers, highway maintenance workers and librarians. The role involves consultations with staff seeking answers from their data, looking to drive through roadblocks and provide greater insights and service delivery for residents.

Leicester County Council is just one example of an organisations driving higher performance with data analysis and visualisation. They are providing better and faster techniques to that greatly improve citizen service and engagement.

Christine Carmichael manages the public sector segment for Tableau Software.