Knowledge Hub

The Knowledge Hub programme aims to create a trusted learning and sharing environment across the local government sector. It will use Web 2.0 technology and services to support networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Introduction

As the UK moves towards economic recovery it is expected there will be greater demands on local government to:

• continue to demonstrate cost-effective delivery methods
• be ‘fleeter of foot’ in gathering and using sector knowledge – not only to learn from others' experience but also to accelerate the development and implementation of innovative delivery.

We believe that knowledge of ‘what works’ and ‘what doesn’t work’ can be found within the local government community. Unleashed, this knowledge can be collectively focused on excellent public service delivery.

The overarching outcome of the Knowledge Hub programme is that by 2012/13, the culture of local government will be one of collaborative knowledge generation. This will involve everyone learning, sharing and problem-solving using a technological platform provided by Local Government Improvement and Development but owned by the local government sector.

The programme has a particular focus on internal and external management of change, and the enabling role of technology in this process. There will be minimal mediation and facilitation of the Knowledge Hub from 2012/13, with national bodies contributing to priority areas only where content and network capacity is needed.

While a working title of a ‘Knowledge Hub’ is being used it is perhaps more appropriate to use the metaphor of a dynamo-powered light, which shines brighter and illuminates the way more clearly the more involvement there is from participants and users. The strategic challenge of the programme is to bring about that cultural shift. The secondary challenge is to provide the technology solution. The final challenge is to gift the leadership and ownership to local government.

Knowledge Hub: an animated film

Business objectives

The vision for the Knowledge Hub is to create a trusted learning and sharing environment across the local government sector, where everyone can benefit from a shared understanding of what works and what doesn’t. The Hub will:

• put the sector itself in the driving seat for knowledge generation, capture and dissemination
• establish an environment where the sector itself is sharing its own knowledge directly, with limited mediation, and with national bodies contributing to priority areas where content and network capacity are needed
• liberate the innovation potential of the sector.

Scope

The Knowledge Hub will comprise three interdependent elements:

1. Technology

This includes the systems, software applications, hosting and service support.

2. Data content

This will be a combination of:

• user-generated content
• system-generated content
• approved datasets
• incoming data feeds.

The technology must be able to manage:

• unstructured content, such as narrative and multimedia
• semi-structured content, such as spreadsheets
• structured content, such as a database.

3. Knowledge ecology

Wikipedia defines a 'knowledge ecosystem' as:

“... an approach to knowledge management which claims to foster the dynamic evolution of knowledge interactions between entities to improve decision-making and innovation through improved evolutionary networks of collaboration. In contrast to purely directive management efforts that attempt either to manage or direct outcomes, knowledge ecosystems espouse that knowledge strategies should focus more on enabling self-organisation in response to changing environments”.

How will it work?

The Knowledge Hub will use Web 2.0 technology and services to support networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing. Users will be able to find peers and experts with shared interests for mutual aid and practice development.

The Hub will build on LG Improvement and Development’s Community of Practice-based approach to knowledge management. It will support multiple communities, using the best features and functionality that have evolved through the development of the CoP service.

Communities of Practice (CoP) website

The purpose is not to replicate or replace any similar initiatives currently being used, developed or proposed by individual councils or partnerships. Rather, the Hub will bring together information about innovation and good practice from any number of these sources to help the development of the whole sector.

Key features

Some of the information that follows is technical in nature. The following glossary explains many of the terms used.

Glossary of social media terms – on the Social Media Guide website

The Knowledge Hub will provide a visualisation tool, with ‘heat maps’ showing emerging trends and ideas. It will have a 'serendipity engine' which will identify related ideas and themes.

Access to external data sources and publicly available information services will enable ‘mashups’ to be created for analysis and data visualisation. So for example, the Hub might overlay data on knife crime with socio-demographic data. It might then display this through Google Earth to indicate which regions or local authorities have made the most impact, with links to evidence-based good practice.

The Hub will be a web-based service and will be accessible through any device with web capability, including mobile phones and PDAs. The technology and systems will support ‘agile’ development, allowing new functionality and services to be added quickly.

The Hub will be an open platform. We will publish an application programming interface (API) enabling third party developers and social innovators to create new applications, widgets and mashups.

The system will enable use of both non-proprietary applications and proprietary applications such as Yahoo Pipes. Mashups and widgets created by third parties will run on independent platforms, or will be integrated back into the Hub as part of a validated library. It is anticipated that over time, a marketplace for third-party applications using Hub data will develop, much in the same way as the market for iPhone Apps and Android plug-ins has developed.

Further information

For more information about this project, please contact:

David Agnew, Programme Office
email: david.agnew@local.gov.uk

Steve Dale, Project Lead
email: steve.dale@local.gov.uk

Ingrid Koehler, Improvement Strategist
email: ingrid.koehler@local.gov.uk