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Introduction

City Science was commissioned by the Cambridge & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) to deliver a State of the Region Review with an interactive dashboard. The Review aimed to inform the region’s Strategic Planning process and policy development, building on previous work, including their Independent Economic Review (CPIER, 2018). The objectives of the project were to create a relevant, reliable and accessible evidence base on the current state of the region, including the impact of recent macro-economics factors on residents and businesses.

Challenges

The CPCA was established in 2017 and covers a significant extent of the East of England, which includes the local authorities of Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Peterborough City Council, and South Cambridgeshire District Council.
As such, the State of the Region needed to build on and not duplicate the existing data assets and analytical methods of key stakeholders, while also adding value to the analysis and understanding of the whole region. In addition to the key partners listed above, we actively engaged with a range of other stakeholders, as a result of key aligned work streams or data assets.

Solutions

Identifying key themes within the stakeholder strategies in order to more accurately refine the data and analytical methods proposed in later stages, focusing on consolidating future data needs to further inform the selected metrics to ensure the State of the Region is future-proofed for anticipated local needs. Reviewing current best-practice in data storytelling and dashboard development, identifying areas where the State of the Region project can enhance (and not duplicate) existing data provision within the region. Drawing on priorities from the insight interviews, evidence from the Policy and Strategy Review and wider stakeholder input, defining a series of thematic areas of focus, designed to reinforce the data collection and analysis approach. Utilising the themes from the previous stage, a detailed data consolidation exercise was undertaken to identify relevant data.

Results

We co-designed and applied an appraisal methodology to enable prioritisation of datasets, and ensure that the datasets selected for the final State of the Region provide the best long-term value to local partners. Our storyboarding exercise identified key analytical questions and explored potential narrative structures for the final report. Throughout the project, we have taken a data-driven approach to improve local data quality and enhance interpretation skills, leveraging our in-house flagship GIS platform Cadence. The analysis of each indicator is presented in an interactive dashboard, designed to meet the specific needs and priorities of our stakeholders. Each key indicator is tailored to provide relevant insights, ensuring that stakeholders can easily access and understand the information. The dashboard features visually engaging elements such as dynamic maps, charts, and graphs, offering an intuitive and clear representation of the findings. An accompanying report was also produced, detailing the findings presented in the dashboard.

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