The prize for best web app at the Building apps for local communities hackathon went to Team Bieber for their Clouds over London app, using esd-toolkit’s Application Profile Interface (API).  The app, described here, indicates the potential suitability of different areas for people moving into a city.

From today you'll notice two major changes to esd-toolkit:

1. lists that make up esd-standards are presented in friendlier and faster web pages
2. charts, tables and maps for distinguishing the different communities in each council's area are cleaner and have more up-to-date information

The new pages are designed to make it easier to use the core elements of esd-toolkit and distinguish them from the myriad of detailed features, which are still available to esd-toolkit aficionados.

The discussion and conclusions of the Information Management Working Group Meeting of Thursday 14th March 2013 are now online with links to presentations and web pages.

See the meeting notes which cover our discussions on:

• the role of different lists that group services in the Local Government Service List
• techniques for responding to service requests via social media
• ways of helping one another identify top tasks
• how we measures of service effectiveness fit into the Local Government Business Model
• what the Records Retention Project will achieve

The understanding, take-up and growth of the "transparency agenda" in local government is beginning to gain momentum. An obvious beneficial outcome is improved support for our accountability and as an aid to better engagement with our custromers - the general public at large.

If implemented correctly, an approach to transparency should also foster general service improvement, efficiencies & drive social and economic growth.

However, technical, political and aspirational advances are moving fast and, as a sector, we need to work together to develop an approach towards better data sharing underpinned by a consistent strategy and a common standards framework.

A series of three events was held by the Local Government Association under the auspices of the esd-toolkit programme to provide a forum for local government information managers to take stock, understand the current state of play and consider the emerging strategies to support data linking and the publication of re-usable data.  Presentations used and subject areas discussed are available for download.