Ground-breaking Global Defence Collaboration Creates Blueprint for Sustainable Data-Driven Social Value Projects

A ground-breaking collaboration between Microsoft, Babcock International Group, Northrop Grumman, DXC, Ministry of Defence, Plymouth City Council and whatimpact has redefined the use of data for social good. Recognised for its potential to impact future social good initiatives globally as well as create corporate collaboration on a scale never seen, the project has been awarded the Institute of Analytics’ (IoA) Data for Social Good Award, as part of the annual awards created to celebrate data’s positive impact on business and society.

Dr Clare Walsh, IoA’s Director of Education, explains why the project was the obvious winner:

“The public’s perception of social good or value often remains one of litter picks or tree planting schemes. Whilst these are great in themselves, without a long-term strategy based on cause and effect, good intentions might not prove sustainable. That’s where data comes in”.

“This government and industry project focused on working together to pool unique skills as well as data to understand the power of open-source data is very much the first of its kind. It represents the way ahead for a more collaborative world. Too often we see big companies unwilling to share their data and resources for the greater good. The IoA has been championing the power of open data to provide impactful societal and economic value, so we were thrilled to see huge strides in this field”.

The winning project was developed over a week with the team choosing Plymouth for the pilot model as it has both a lower GDP and educational attainment levels than the national average. The aim was to create a data platform using credible and transparent sources to provide an accurate picture of the socio-economic status of the city.

Over the five days, the team focused on two key areas – looking for tangible ways to tackle economic inequality as well as equal opportunities, particularly reducing the disability employment gap.

Commenting on the win, Kat Dixon, Analytics Business Partner at Babcock, said:

“We’re delighted to have won the IoA’s Data for Social Good award.

It’s now a legal requirement for a minimum of 10% of all UK government contracts to be allocated to social value projects. Using the data to gain a granular insight into a particular region will really help organisations understand where their resources should go to make a meaningful and measurable difference – whether that’s on sustainability projects or creating new jobs”.

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information about both the IoA and the winning Data for Social Good project, please call Sara Stewart on 07833 467774 or email sara.stewart@ioaglobal.org

The Institute of Analytics

The Institute of Analytics (IoA) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering data literacy, ethical practice and evidence-based decision making. As the leading global body for analytics & data science professionals, we are committed to helping our members remain at the cutting edge of digital reform to lead the way in this data-driven age. We work collaboratively with educational institutes, industry, governments and the third sector and champion data sharing on a global scale as a force for good.

The IoA Awards

The inaugural Global IoA Analysts Awards 2022 launched in September 2022 with the aim of celebrating anyone challenging the status quo in the business community through an outstanding and innovative use of data.

The awards aim to recognise and reward business excellence across all sectors: private, public and charity. Entries that represented the use and analysis of data to drive innovation and social change, making a positive contribution to society and business.

The Global IoA Analysts Awards will celebrate innovation, creating a platform for IoA to highlight the best data analysis practices across the world which might otherwise fall beneath the radar. As well as recognising achievement, the awards aim to promote knowledge sharing, inspiring others to innovate, and raise the profile of data analytics to encourage more individuals and

organisations to bridge the skills gap needed to get ahead in the data age.

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