Data Information No 1
Don’t Forget Your Caddie
Thanks to
the internet and the enthusiasm of the statutory agencies to store data, much
information of which we were previously unaware can now be accessed in our own
homes or at the local library. Over the next few editions of Together we plan to provide an introduction
to some of the sources of that information and hope you will find it useful in
serving the needs of your local community.
Our
starting point is CADDIE, which stands for the Crime And Disorder Data
Information Exchange. The system has been created as a direct result of the
Crime and Disorder Act. Why CADDIE? Because a major concern of many people in
Sussex is the fear of crime. The
Bible tells us that perfect love casts out fear, but in the case of ‘fear of
crime’ some knowledge may also help.
CADDIE
provides maps of the incidents of recorded crime and accidents. It should do
much to reassure people living in most of our communities that Sussex is
generally a low crime area, most of the fear being whipped up by outrageous
reports in national newspapers rather than the reality of local
experience.
You can find it at http://www.caddie.gov.uk and it is largely self explanatory. Currently it is being redesigned, but even in its present state it still offers a lot of reassurance regarding the real levels of crime in Sussex.
Data Information No 2
Community
Surfing
Understanding our community is a
prerequisite to effective mission and there are many ways to carry out the
necessary research which at every stage means talking and listening to our
neighbours and those who live and work around us.
What issues concern them? What are their needs? But what
about sources of information while sitting at your desk?
Two websites, both Government based and both categorising
information in terms of the Local Government boundaries, are not to be missed.
One regurgitates all the information we supplied in the 2001
census. That means it is already four years old, but still incredibly valuable.
A little bit of surfing can produce some fascinating insights, including data
available at a neighbourhood level which helps to break down the statistics to
a local level. The main website address is www.statistics.gov.uk but to get
straight to the census information you will need to go to
www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001.asp.
The other provides data much more limited in scope, but more
up to date. Unfortunately it is not in any way interactive, simply providing
the data available in terms of a pdf file or report. Once at the site you are
invited to select the local authority that you are interested in, so try
www.gose.gov.uk/gose/ourRegion/aboutLocalities/.
Data Information No 3
Sites
Worth Watching
Because we can only provide a
limited amount of information and the internet can sometimes offer a
bewildering array of options we try in each edition of Together to
provide a resource for readers with access to the internet whether at home, in
the local library or even at church. Here are a couple with details on life in
Sussex.
The first — City Stats — offers a wide range of resources of
special interest to people who live or work in and around Brighton and Hove. It
is available at www.citystats.org. Well worth a visit not only for the locals
but also for people simply interested in what is happening there.
The second is of interest to people all over Sussex. It serves as a tutorial on the new developments of the planning system, in particular the new Local Development Frameworks which will affect all of our communities in time. The site is self explanatory. Try http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/ldf/ldfguide.html.
Data Information No 4
The World we are
Called to Save
The websites featured in this
edition of Together are linked to the
ecological theme we featured in the last edition. They both focus on the same
idea that in the one world we inhabit, there are finite resources to meet the
needs of creation and if we consume more than our fair share, then someone or
something else will get less.
By that measure the South East of England (an area with a
population of some 8 million people) consumes 20 times as much in terms of
resources as the world can sustain. So if the rest of the world was as wasteful
as our region of the country, it would be necessary for the planet to have 20
times the resources it actually has.
Two websites which help us to understand the impact we have on the resources which God has created for mankind are BP Carbon Footprint Checker ( http://www.bp.com/) and Earth Day Footprint Quiz (http://www.ecofoot.org/).
Data Information No 5
Figures and
Statistics
East Sussex in Figures is a web site which in its early stages provided the inspiration for this column of Data Exchange and demonstrates that there is more to figures and statistics than they are sometimes given credit for. Sadly, it is limited to East Sussex which is barely 40% of the area covered by Churches Together in Sussex. It is nevertheless a superb guide to what is happening in the neighbourhoods within the area covered by the County Council and can be found at http://www.eastsussexinfigures.org.uk/webview/index.jsp
Some of the data does In fact extend to Brighton & Hove
and it can only be hoped that eventually this sort of data observatory extends
to the rest of Sussex. It is incredibly easy to use and provides far more data
about what is happening in East Sussex than most people could make use of. I
suggest you visit the site and see for yourself. However congratulations to
Paul Treadgold and his team at East Sussex County Council for their excellent
piece of work. If the name Treadgold rings a bell, Paul is related to John
Treadgold, previously Dean of Chichester.