SASSOT’s Open Data Journey

This month sees Sport England highlighting the importance of data (both shared and open) and digital innovation to transform how people get active (read more).

Supporting the open data agenda is firmly on the list of SASSOT’s priorities and below is a taste of our journey so far.

What does it all mean?

So essentially open data is all about encouraging activity providers to ‘open’ their activity opportunity data to try and ensure more people see the information in more places.

Fairly straight forward, hey? Well, the concept is a great idea and has certainly worked for other industries such as the travel industry, but what are the practicalities of starting local conversations about open data?

SASSOT’s open data journey is really only at the checking-in stage, and although we have purchased our tickets, (we are on board and have an activity finder) the journey to the final destination is likely to take a number of detours.

What have we done so far?

SASSOT are working in partnership with Played Ltd and Imin and have a purchased an activity finder which is populated through the use of open data.  The finder will only be as good as the as the range and volume and activities feeding it, so this is where the hard work begins ensuring that we can support providers to come on this journey with us.

September saw us bring together key stakeholders to start the conversation at our Open Data event, resulting in good levels of positivity and commitment. With a number of local authority providers and leisure trusts present, it was evident that the commitment of the large leisure operators was an important part of the jigsaw.

With Gladstone, Legend, Xn, Parkwood Leisure and Everyone Active all active in our area, this is currently presenting a mixed picture of progress and one that we will continue to support.

Although leisure operators are an important part of the local sport and physical activity offer, there is a vast range of activity providers operating across the network, all of which have very different ways in which they publish their opportunity data.

This could be information posted onto a web page, social media posts or in some cases published literature.  Working with these providers will be key to the success of this project and SASSOT will be committing time to support such providers to utilise tools such as open sessions.

Below are our some of our priorities over the next 6 months.

What Are Our Priorities?

1. Working with small/medium sized activity providers to equip them with the knowledge and tools to publish their information.
2. Developing a website and marketing campaign that will drive people to the activity finder.
3. To work with health professionals to ensure that the website and activity finder meet the needs for programmes such as social prescribing and the national diabetes prevention programme.
4. Finding the best ways to come together as a network to share learning and experiences.

Please Join Us

Our ambition is to work with as many activity providers as possible to support them to open their activity data, allowing the information to appear in our ‘Activity Finder’.

This will increase providers market reach to new audience’s as well as improving the experience of the customer.

So whether you are a sports club, yoga instructor, walk leader, coaching company and so on, we would love to hear from you and discuss how we can support you to share your activity information.

Find out more about open data by watching the video below or watch it by clicking here.

For more information please contact:

Naomi Bird
Data, Insight & Engagement Manager
01785 619585
nbird@staffordbc.gov.uk