- Author
- Bekki Leaver
- Role
- Head of Product
Off the back of some recent news stories which purported to use FixMyStreet data to denounce the worst places in the UK for potholes and other issues, Bekki Leaver, Head of Product, explains how FixMyStreet data can be used – and how it can’t.
___
I read a book once called How to lie with statistics. It’s a short book with entertaining illustrations and anecdotes about misrepresenting the facts with fancy diagrams.
The book has stuck with me for years and I am reminded of it often when I see reports and articles from sources unaffiliated with us that try to present a particular worldview based on the data they’ve sourced from our FixMyStreet service, such as where the worst roads in the UK are for potholes.
Data from FixMyStreet alone does not tell you this, and we do not condone the use of it for such purposes.
In my role as Head of Product, I spend a lot of time dealing with data from FixMyStreet, so I wanted to share some insight and bust some myths.
What is FixMyStreet data telling you?
FixMyStreet is a single data point. That data is incredibly useful to analyse in a great number of contexts, from exploring what is being reported in a certain area to who is reporting it.
FixMyStreet report data creates a snapshot of civic engagement within the individual areas where it is well used.
For the councils who use FixMyStreet Pro, the data goes even further, giving insight into, for example, time from report to resolution, contractor service levels and localised seasonal trends.
The limitations of the data
However, on its own it cannot tell you where is better or worse for certain problems.
If you’re after the reality of the situation, you’ve got to triangulate. In other words, you’ve got to use multiple data sources to have credibility and trustworthiness in the results.
Research has shown that the user demographics for FixMyStreet tend to skew towards people living in the middle of the deprivation spectrum.
That’s not to say the spaces where those people live are in a higher state of disrepair than others; only that more people there are reporting more faults and defects to their council through FixMyStreet.
Why is this? To report a problem you have to A) have a problem B) know how to report a problem and C) have belief the problem will be fixed. A FixMyStreet report represents both “here is a problem” and “hope in a functional government”.
Other limitations include differences in categorisation (straight to potholes or through roads and pavements first?), variations in council participation (e.g. in some areas we are the primary reporting mechanism acting as the council’s own reporting system, whereas in others we run alongside other reporting channels, or sometimes councils refuse reports from third parties entirely) and we’re only a small part of the maintenance workflow, with inspectors and sensors doing a lot of the heavy lifting too.
Being data-savvy
Whenever you’re looking at a report or article that’s making a claim using data, consider the validity of that claim, especially if it’s in some way disparaging!
Firstly, consider who benefits from it – that will help determine whether they’ve used data in good faith.
Then see if they’re using more than one data source. If they are using multiple sources, check they’re recent and relevant.
And if you’ve got the time and the desire, pick up a copy of How to lie with statistics and forever be a little bit cynical of what those statistics someone is presenting are telling you.
___
See more posts from the SocietyWorks team.
___
Image taken by a member of the mySociety/SocietyWorks team and used with permission.