Using spatial technology to help solve social policy issues

Marnie Leybourne

Director, WALIS

“Immediate past” President, Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute

What are social policy issues?

Social policy: the study of social welfare and its relationship to politics and society

Traditional areas: income support, education, health, housing, employment, social care

Primary aim: to reduce inequality in society

Why does social policy need help?

Social security and welfare,

110,994

Infrastructure, transport and energy, 13,886

Defence, 20,952Education,

35,222

Industry and workforce,

13,271

General government

services, 80,478

Health, 51,223

Community services and

culture, 12,188

Australian Government 2009-10 budget overview

expenses (in $millions)

Scary trends

Australian government estimates for 2009/10 have allocated 48 per cent of the total budget to health, social security and welfare

The modest increases in the forward estimates will not meet demand

By 2021, 4.2 million Australians >65 years; 500,000 >85 years

All projections show huge increase in disabilities, chronic health issues, etc

Restructuring the welfare state

Development of indicators tied to outputs of social programmes

“Universal provision” versus “individual targeting”

Fragmentation of service delivery – accountability on the part of government has been diminished.

Jurisdictional or localised views

How can spatial information help?All public policy making and service delivery is spatial

InfrastructureElectricitySub-stationsGasWaterHydrantsSewerageStorm waterTelecoms

SocialDemography-Age/sex-Culture-Disability-Religion, etcEmploymentValuationsPedestrians

LocationalPoliceFireAmbulanceSESSchoolsHospitalsAged careCommunityCentresIconsKey buildingsSports facilitiesCCTV

EnvironmentalCadastreRoadsImageryTopographyCensusAdmin. Bdys.

‘‘Real Real World’World’

Problems

Australia does not have a well-developed policy framework for spatial targeting

Funding to agencies is still based on priorities of individual departments or functional areas

No well-developed SDI

Location, location, location

The rising concentrations of policy occurring in many postcodes highlight the winners and losers from economic prosperity, and means that where you live determines your life chances.

Australian Government Treasurer, Wayne Swan,

2005

Spatial analysis in social policy

Map produced by Dr John Snow that showed the relationship between drinking water pump site and cholera deaths in London - 1854

A long history

Using spatial analysis to site new amenitiesThrough the Shared Land Information Platform (SLIP)

the Shared Land Information PlatformYour Place, Your Knowledge

AerialPhotography(Landgate)

WindVectors(BoM)

AboriginalSites(DIA)

ThreatenedFauna(DEC)

Managed LandsAnd Waters

(DEC)

Hydrology –Water Bodies

(DoW)

Hydrology –Rivers & Streams

(DoW

FlightPaths

(CASA)

Roads(MR)

RailwayLines

(Landgate)

Geonoma(Landgate)

AdequateShortageNon-existent

Divisions of General Practice

Pilbara

Eastern GoldfieldsMidwest

Central Wheatbelt

Level of workforce provision

0 200 400 600 800 Kilometers

Great Southern

Kimberley

Greater Bunbury

Peel Sth West

“Identifying areas of medical workforce shortage”

Jessica Scott, CUCRH 2004

Doctors’ residences – places of work

Charles Gardner Hospital versus Fiona Stanley Hospital

“GIS in Health”

Grace Yun, DOH, 2008

Case study

Mouth and throat cancer mortality of white females, 1950-69 in the USA, by state economic area

Significantly higher than average rate of mortality in mid to south-east

Textile manufacturing (mills) prevalent in this area

Conclusion?

“Statistical perspectives on spatial social science” The 2006 Morris Hansen Lecture, National Cancer

Institute, USA, November 6

Professor Michael Goodchild

Professor Michael Goodchild, 2006

Case study

Fact: Textile mills not the cause

Widespread use (in these areas) of smokeless tobacco (snuff)

Policy changes included the ban of sales to minors and campaigns to stop its use

Example 2

Mortality rates of trachea, bronchus and lung cancer among white males linked to occupational exposure to asbestos

Professor Michael Goodchild, 2006

1.8 1.8

Policies

Claims

Claims in affected area

No claim in affected area

Claims NOT in affected area

Source: ASIBA (now Spatial Industries Business Association - SIBA), Spatial Interoperability Demonstration Project Roadshow, 2005.

Thinking outside the

Thank you