Draft new menu structure for wmro.org

It’s just over 12 months since the re-launch of the Observatory’s website www.wmro.org. Since the re-launch last year, our range of research has widened and there is a new focus on particular themes.
To try and help visitors to our website more easily find the research and data they want, I’m considering how best to restructure [...]

Launch of the first Place Survey results

Results of the first Place Survey were launched today providing information on people’s perceptions of their local area and the local services they receive.
The survey collects information on 18 national indicators for local government, used to measure local government performance for 152 county councils, metropolitan district councils, London boroughs and unitary authorities.
Communities Secretary John Denham [...]

Crowdsourcing policy, visualising debate and evolving consultation

I attended a session on crowdsourcing public policy at the recent LocalGovCamp event, an unconference for local government held in Birmingham.
Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a task traditionally performed by employees or contractors and opening it out to a large group of people. It’s mass collaboration to collectively achieve a task or refine something [...]

Low carbon economy to face climate change

The UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) were published last week. These projections deliver climate information forecasts for the UK and its regions. The purpose of the projections is to provide relevant evidence that can help society and the environment cope with climate change.
The key findings confirm that climate change is a real and challenging issue to [...]

Britain’s got (hidden) talent

New reseach has shown that two-thirds of UK workers with specialist skills are not using them in their professional careers.
The Western European Location Skills Audit undertaken by Oxford Intelligence covered eight ‘hard-to-find’ skill sets in ten countries.
The research showed that the UK ranks first in the Location Skills Index and either first or second in Technical [...]

UK Climate Projections 2009

Today saw the publication of the long awaited UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09).
UKCP09 is the fifth time such climate information has been produced for the UK.
Funded by Defra, and based on sound science and projections provided by the Met Office, UKCP09 aims to meet the needs of a wide range of users who want to [...]

Unemployment rises again in the West Midlands

Unemployment in the region grew by a further 39,000 in the three months to April 2009 and has now reached its highest level since 1994.
Data released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there are now just under quarter of a million people (249,000) out of work in the region giving an unemployment [...]

Celebrating our success

Since I joined the Observatory I’m more aware of what is said about the West Midlands.
On 3rd June I attended the conference Skills and Knowledge for Sustainable Communities in London and was very pleased to find that one of the case studies mentioned related to the regeneration of Attwood Green in Birmingham.
I think it is [...]

Observatory presents integrated policy model at key seminar

The Observatory presented its Integrated Policy Model to delegates at the third ESRC Complex Systems Research Seminar at Cranfield School of Management on 10th June 2009.
The seminar, Modelling for Policy Decisions, was organised by the London School of Economics Complexity Research Centre. The event featured presentations from leading academics on the importance of understanding the complex and dynamic [...]

Sandwell Health’s Other Economic Summit

When: 9th & 10th July 2009
Where: The pUBLIC, West Bromwich
How much: £50
More info: Download flyer (PDF, 95kb)
In the tradition of Sandwell Health’s Other Economic Summit (SHOES), this event will be examining how local issues can impact on world health and how global issues affect us.

Life sciences sector: tell the Government what it can do to help you succeed

Until the end of June 2009, West Midlands life sciences companies have an unprecedented opportunity to tell the Government what it can do to help them succeed, as medical and healthcare industry specialist MedilinkWM launches the Voices of Industry Campaign.
Designed to give companies in the Life Sciences sector a united voice and combined influence, the [...]

Using height layers and aerial photography to visualise developments and land use

Members of the Pan Government Agreement (PGA2) including Advantage West Midlands and other Regional Development Agencies, DEFRA, Natural England and Communities and Local Government have signed up for access to national layers of aerial photography and height layers from The Next Perspectives Consortium led by Infoterra UK Ltd.
Available to download (and for PGA licensed organisations), these layers can be [...]

Shropshire electoral review using ArcGIS

What are electoral reviews and why do one?
Electoral reviews are undertaken periodically and their main aim is to ensure that ‘electoral equality’ is maintained, meaning that all councillors in a single authority represent approximately the same number of electors.
Reviews are needed if there has been a lot of new development in an area which results [...]

Breaking out of the silo – a case study

The West Midlands Regional Observatory is an excellent example of cross-organisation and cross-departmental working, according to a recent case study by the Improvement & Development Agency (I&DeA).
According to the study, the Observatory is a rich resource providing information, knowledge and expertise to a range of audiences.

Making the right choices in a disaster

If there were a nuclear accident in Europe, how would those responsible for disaster response know where to focus attention? And how would they access the right information to make fast and accurate decisions?
Aston University are collaborating with eight other European partners to deliver INTAMAP (Interoperability and Automated Mapping Project), which will provide emergency response decision makers [...]