Every minute of every day, we generate immense, astonishing amounts of data. We send more than 204 million emails, share in excess of 100,000 Tweets and download over 47,000 applications every sixty seconds. The world’s information is doubling every year. Big data is a huge issue, and it’s shaping social and economic change.
There are three key drivers responsible for the current focus on big data: the availability and accessibility of data; the measurement and analytics of data; and the increase in devices we can use to access the data.
For housing providers, there are very specific challenges when it comes to managing the ever-increasing volumes of data, such as:
- The consolidation and integration of systems as housing groups change in structure and acquire smaller groups;
- Sharing of data between different organisations as tenants move to different local authority areas;
- The need to improve the delivery and management of services to tenants;
- Reacting to the change in the way tenants choose to communicate, preferring to share information online or using a mobile app;
- The management of constantly-changing housing stock and the resulting data;
- The migration of historical data to new systems;
- Universal credit fast approaching and the effect this will have on IT management;
- The management of information on contractors;
- The requirement for a cost-efficient organisation.
Most housing providers have, at the very least, three or four main systems in which this vast amount of data is stored and provides a platform for their big data strategies: housing management, asset management and contractor management. If those systems can talk to each other across a robust network, so much the better. And if the systems are managed in the cloud to save money, reduce overheads and benefit from the flexibility of adding services as required, that’s another tick in the ‘future proof’ box. But we need to think beyond this: without transparency, an organisation’s big data strategy will fall at the first hurdle.
Transparency drives transformation, and increases trust, motivation, productivity and performance. Transparency of data enables choice, empowers staff and tenants and leads to informed decision making. By transparency, I don’t mean opening up your data and increasing your security risk. I mean implementing some analytical measurements, some accessible applications, and surrounding these with a culture of openness.
Open data is a priority for the prime minister, and this is an area in which the UK government is blazing a trail. Its understanding of, and commitment to, the issues and benefits of openness in data are outstanding. Admittedly the government has a social responsibility to foster an open environment, but organisations both public and private can follow its lead.
Francis Maude, minister for the cabinet office and paymaster general, in the 2012 government white paper on ‘Open Data: Unleashing the Potential’ talks about transparency driving prosperity. Opening up, he says, will “empower citizens, foster innovation and reform public services”. 9,000 data sets are available on the portal www.data.gov.uk, ranging from online crime maps, weather information and transport data to cabinet office salary details and spending data. There is housing data on tenure, owner occupation and the social rented sector, on house prices and housing stock. It’s fascinating, engrossing, and importantly it helps understand our communities and our places within them.
The Government understands the significance of data as a tool to create openness and enable economic and social benefits. Its commitment and investment is clear; in December 2012, Paul Maltby was appointed to the government’s role of director for transparency and open data, a role which will see him deliver the UK’s commitments to openness. Liam Maxwell was named recently as the government’s first CTO. But what can our organisations learn from what is clearly more than just a vote winner?
Accessing housing data has huge implications for housing providers and the government alike. It demonstrates how we want to live. It provides information on socio-economic trends, and regional and cultural preferences. It helps us match stock to demand and reduces the risk and cost of stock standing empty.
At a granular level, access to big data analytics means we can check a tenant’s credit rating and payment history, and create a numerical picture of the future tenant. For a potential resident, finding information on landlords’ properties, on fire safety regulations and sourcing contact details for locally-based maintenance companies could save a housing provider time and effort.
Accessing this information is not difficult; in fact, there are now web-based information services specifically for the housing sector which give us the ability to map, measure and report on data sources appropriate to communities. Housing management teams can use this information for smarter decision-making.
To make the most of the opportunities big data offers housing providers, we need to:
- Ensure the systems, processes and applications are in place to enable openness and simple access to the right data for the right people;
- Implement an intelligent infrastructure to support these systems and those needed in the future;
- Communicate aims, objectives and success measures and set up the tools to create a dialogue and encourage feedback – consider a portal and internal social networks;
- Appoint key individuals to drive the activity, not just ‘project leaders’ – transparency of data isn’t a temporary measure to drive sales or win media votes, it’s part of an organisation’s ethos;
- Educate employees, customers and citizens not only on access but on the importance of privacy and security of data they are producing and working with;
- Foster a culture of openness across the organisation, of which clarity of data is just a part, and ensure the tools and channels are in place to make this happen;
- Revisit and reassess progress on a regular basis;
- Lead by example: open up the entire organisation.
The more information we can store, access, share and carefully manage, the more we can analyse and understand housing. Having this data at our fingertips empowers us. It equips us with the ability to shape trends and forecast the future of our communities.
Alan Fogden is head of public sector at Easynet.
