Canberra Community Data Hub

The Canberra Community Data Hub will be an online platform for community organisations to access and share information about Canberra’s needs and strengths. The platform will be developed and hosted by Seer Data, who have delivered trusted community data projects in Gladstone, Shepparton, Bourke (Maranguka Project), Albury-Wodonga, Mildura, and Tasmania.

Phase 1

In Phase 1, the Canberra Community Data Hub will provide user-friendly dashboards of official datasets, such as datasets from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The platform also has the capability for community organisations to share research reports, case studies, community insights and other information to add context to these datasets.

By bringing together these different types of data, the Canberra Community Data Hub will be an accessible, sector-driven evidence base to inform decision-making, resource allocation, and policy development.

A new approach to Vital Signs

The Canberra Community Data Hub follows on from the Vital Signs data projects. A community-led research initiative, led by Hands Across Canberra and the Snow Foundation, the 2018 and 2021 Vital Signs reports provide data against the four key themes of health, education and employment, housing, and belonging.

The Vital Signs reports were static snapshots of Canberra’s strengths and challenges. In contrast, the datasets presented on the Canberra Community Data Hub will be updated whenever new data becomes available.

Funding, design and decision making

The project is led by Snow Foundation and Hands Across Canberra as part of their shared mission to build capacity in the community sector. The Snow Foundation has provided seed funding for the project and Hands Across Canberra has been successful in winning additional grant funding to support the work from the .auDomain foundation.

A community reference group will be consulted to shape the design and direction of the Hub, so that the indicators and stories presented on the platform reflect what matters most to the Canberra community sector. Reference group members will also be invited to test the platform and provide feedback and recommendations on the design. The

reference group is open to all Canberra community organisations who wish to participate – please contact xxx if you would like more information.

A Working Group with sector relevant data experience will receive the recommendations of the community reference group and make recommendations about the design of the platform. The Working Group includes representatives from community organisations (ACTCOSS, the YWCA and Northside Community Services) and research institutes (University of Canberra, Australian National University McCusker Institute, The Data Conversation) as well as Snow Foundation and Hands Across Canberra.

Future work

Future phases of the Canberra Community Data Hub will be determined in consultation with the community reference group to ensure projects meet the needs and interests of the community sector.

The Seer platform can allow community organisations to securely upload and share their own datasets. Organisations can choose who to share information with, such as within small groups of organisations or with the public. This kind of data sharing has exciting potential to build a clearer understanding of need in the ACT. But it would require investment and commitment to the work of developing data sharing agreements and sound data governance and data quality practices.

Phase 1 is likely to identify gaps in the data available, and future work might identify shared priorities for new data collection or research projects.

Future work will continue to contribute to our vision of a thriving, equitable Canberra where diverse community needs are understood through trusted, transparent data and collective insight.