Local Knowledge contains all the resources and content necessary to analyse an area's current conditions and anticipate future change. It also provides toolkits and methodologies for creating local area profiles and for shaping future strategies.
In a fast changing global economy successful strategies need a clear understanding of local strengths and weaknesses. Drawing on an extensive database of published and proprietory Local Futures indicators, Local Knowledge helps users to analyse regional and local performance. Critically, it provides all the content, tools and methodologies necessary to create comprehensive profiles of economic, social and environmental conditions - at a regional, sub-regional and local and neighbourhood level.
Content
Local Knowledge contains all the indicators necessary to analyse the economic, social and environmental conditions of Britain's regions and localities. Content is drawn from nationally recognised sources, together with Audit Commission PIs and a range of unique Local Futures indicators (including original knowledge economy and quality of life indicators). The content is held at a regional, sub-regional, Local Authority District, ward and neighbourhood level, allowing local performance to be profiled within a national and regional context. Powerful 'search engines' allow users to quickly locate data and generate research outputs.
Toolkit
The Local Knowledge service incorporates an interactive 'toolkit' for analysing the data sets. These include mapping, ranking, comparison, profiling and change tools, for generating a comprehensive range of research outputs at different spatial levels. The tools are easy-to-use and geneate powerful graphical outputs for immediate use in reports and presentations.
Methodologies
Local Knowledge incorporates all the methodologies necessary for preparing local area profiles - regional, sub-regional, local - and for undertaking baseline analysis for policy and research purposes. Critically, they provide techniques for bringing the data to life and ensuring it 'tells a story' about local conditions.
Successful strategies also need to anticipate future change and identify new opportunities and threats. Local Knowledge helps users to 'anticipate the future' by providing insights into 'drivers of change', incorporating analysis of some of the key trends forces that will affect future prospects. It also includes future scenarios, providing alternative views of long-term futures, that can be applied locally.
The 'drivers of change' module of Local Knowledge provides analysis of 12 key forces that we believe will be influential in shaping future change. They provide analysis of underlying trends and forecasts, acting as a resource for anticipating future change at a regional and local level. Constantly updated, they combine powerful charts/graphics with supporting commentary. Outputs can be used to set a context for strategies or can be used in presentations about future change.
12 'drivers of change'
Globalisation
Science and technology
Industrial structure
Labour market
Organisational change
Demographics
Inequality and social cohesion
Values and attitudes
Leisure and tourism
Urban and rural
European Union
Environment
Scenarios
The Local Futures Group has developed a unique methodology for creating future scenarios. In part it draws on our profiling and benchmarking tools, ensuring scenarios are based on a clear understanding of current conditions. However, it also shows how 'drivers of change' can be used to create future scenarios and how these can be incorporated within a strategy-build process.
|
 |