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Media Release 2010

News | Media Releases | 2010 | Spatial analysis helps the Ministry of Social Development target funding and resources

MSD uses spatial analyis to target funding and resources

Work and Income service centre client numbers have recently been optimised thanks to some smart spatial analysis that compared the number of clients with service centre boundaries.

The 2009 economic downturn increased interest in understanding where the growing numbers of unemployed people were concentrated, and how the Ministry could ensure resources were well positioned to provide help where it was needed, explains Beth-Anne Lee Senior GIS Analyst with the Ministry's Centre for Social Research and Evaluation.

This is where spatial analysis has come into its own. We used the redistricting functionality within MapInfo and built a series of digital maps to determine potential boundary realignments for service centre catchments.

“At a glance, decision-makers were able to see where to shift clients from an over-burdened service centre to one more capable of dealing with extra demand. Without GIS to visually interpret the data, decisions about re-assigning clients to service centres could've taken a lot longer”, says Ms Lee.

She adds that spatial analysis is also starting to play a key role in helping Ministry decision-makers decide how, where and what sort of programmes to deliver at which locations.

David Knight, Critchlow's Government Sales Manager says Critchlow is seeing more and more organisations learning to use business spatial analysis to solve complex business problems.

“Spatial analysis techniques complement other traditional analytical processes to bring unique insight and clarity to complex information. It?s becoming a mainstream business practice?enhancing decision-making in many areas of the business”, says Mr Knight.

With work that touches lives of more then one million New Zealanders, the Ministry of Social Development provides a range of services including employment, superannuation and income support, and the Ministry's ability to deliver these and other services calls for effective tools to target resources - people, funds - to the areas where they're most needed, says Ms Lee.

“People all across the Ministry are often surprised and impressed with the added benefits location intelligence provides, frequently exceeding their expectations of simple paper maps and charts”, she says.

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