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| October 2009 Edition |

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General:

1. NLPG & NSG Finalists for Prestigious European Award

2. Authorities Relieved of European Directive Addressing Requirements
3. Exploiting Government's Information Assets for the Public Good
4. Trafford Housing Buys into NLPG
5. Local Authority "Single Citizen View" Project Wins National Award
6. More Mashup from Kent
7. LGIH/IDeA Continues to Seek Resolution on Address Data Issues
8. NLPG Presence at SOLACE and SOCITM Annual Conferences
9. info4local
10. NLPG NSG Annual Conference and Exhibition, Underpinning Transformational
Government
11. Exemplar Awards
12. Data Standards Update
13. CORE Data Matching Validation
14. CORE Data Matching
15. VOA - Match Rates
16. ONS Data Distribution
17. Andy Lawes
18. Surrey Heath Seek GIS & Gazetteer Officer

NLPG:

1. Property Classifications in the NLPG

2. NLPG Logins

NSG:

1. NSG Uploads
2. Eton 5
3. Health Checks
4. NSG Logins

-----[articles]-----

[General]
**1. NLPG & NSG Finalists for Prestigious European Award**
The National Land and Property Gazetteer and National Street Gazetteer are one
of
only two finalists being put forward from the UK for a prestigious European
award.
The European Spatial Data Infrastructure (eSDI) Best Practice Award 2009
identifies
projects based on a variety of criteria, including "Inspire readiness".
Reaching
the final in the competition is further confirmation of the value of NLPG/NSG
hub
model as an example of Best Practice. The Awards will take place towards the
end
of November and we will share the final results in the next ezine.

**2. Authorities Relieved of European Directive Addressing Requirements**

The NLPG hub can now produce a subset of the NLPG to the format required by
the
Inspire Directive for the Addressing theme. This will mean substantial savings
in
both time and resources for Local Authorities who are mandated to provide
spatial
data under the directive. The address data specification is still to be
formally
approved by the European Commission but it is not anticipated to change.

The ability to output an Inspire format NLPGis due to the strength of BS7666
which
enables a subset of the gazetteer to be produced, while still enabling the
full
NLPG to be used from the hub for a range of business critical activities
across
local government. A technical information sheet about the new Inspire format
will
be available on the [1]NLPG website and the Inspire Community of Practice
soon.

[1] http://www.nlpg.org.uk

**3. Exploiting Government's Information Assets for the Public Good**

The Prime Minister has tasked Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt
with
making much more Public Sector Information (PSI) easily accessible over the
web.
In parallel, the Shareholder Executive has been studying how best to make
available
information from Trading Funds in a sustainable way. Both organisations have
asked
government's Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI) for
suggestions
on how to facilitate their work. Since the two tasks interact and success will
need
both short and long term actions, APPSI has produced a paper entitled
[1]Exploiting
Government's Information Assets for the Public Good (PDF 247.54 KB) which
sets
out a consolidated view by Panel of how best to proceed.

[1] http://www.appsi.gov.uk/content/binary/Exploiting-government-information-
assets-for-public-good.pdf

**4. Trafford Housing Buys into NLPG**

Trafford Housing Trust is the second housing trust to have taken a licence to
the
NLPG; it intends to use it within its IT systems and for facilitating its
National
Register of Social Housing (NROSH) return to CLG.

The new licence agreement allows Intelligent Addressing and its designated
NLPG
resellers to sell 'smaller slices' of NLPG data, down to individual records if
necessary.
A price list for each 'borough area' has been published and is available for
download
from the [1]NLPG website. Further details are available by contacting Nick
Turner,
Business Development Manager for Intelligent Addressing, on 020 7747 3500 or
[2]nturner@intelligent-addressing.co.uk.

[1] http://www.iahub.net/docs/1256825215776.pdf
[2] mailto:nturner@intelligent-addressing.co.uk
**5. Local Authority "Single Citizen View" Project Wins National Award**
Hackney London Borough's "Citizen Index" ([1]www.hackney.gov.uk/your-personal-
information.htm)
has recently won the 'customer access' category at this year's Local
Government
IT Excellence Awards, organised by the Society of IT Management (Socitm) in
conjunction
with Solace and Intellect. The Citizen Index comprises of a central system of
information
about citizens in the borough underpinned by the Local Land and Property
Gazetteer
(LLPG). This enables better customer service and also helps target resources
more
effectively and efficiently across the council. The council anticipates a 30%
improvement
in call handling times due to the system. Residents can also opt out of the
scheme
should they wish to.

[1] http://www.hackney.gov.uk/your-personal-information.htm

**6. More Mashup from Kent**

Kent CC's innovation unit's exploration into reuse of public sector data has
[1]Pic
and Mix which aims to increase public access to Kent-related datasets
including
those generated by Kent County Council (KCC). For the purposes of the pilot,
they
have brought together a sample of the most useful information. Where possible,
it
has been provided in a format that allows it to be 'mashed' and customised.
The
CC is looking for help in shaping the initiative by seeking suggestions on
additional
data and ways in which they can improve this site. If anyone does anything
clever
with the data, they would like you to share this with them too!

[1] http://picandmix.org.uk/about/

**7. LGIH/IDeA Continues to Seek Resolution on Address Data Issues**

Further to earlier ezine articles highlighting senior level discussions
concerning
the "the national address register". Talks are still ongoing at a strategic
level.
There is little news to report at the moment although Local Government
Information
House will communicate any firm developments with the MSA community as and
when
it is feasible.

**8. NLPG Presence at SOLACE and SOCITM Annual Conferences**

The NLPG recently exhibited two conferences
Society of IT Managers (SOCITM) Annual Conference in Edinburgh
Society of Local Authority Chief Executives Annual Conference in Brighton
The aim of the visits were to raise the profile of the NLPG at a strategic
level
within local authorities in order to garner support for custodians to fully
unleash
the potential of the NLPG by implementing it as widely as possible.

It was fantastic to see that IT managers are in many cases aware and
supportive
of the NLPG, and enthusiastic about the role investment in IT (and the LLPG)
can
play in delivering the savings required in local government over the next
couple
of years. We hope to see a number of the IT managers present at our
forthcoming
UTG conference and Awards Ceremony, and ask custodians to encourage their IT
managers
to attend.

**9. info4local**
The NLPG and NSG are now signed up with 'info4local'. [1]info4local is a one-
stop
web portal and email alert service that gets information from central to local
government.
It is supported by a partnership of seven departments, including Communities
and
Local Government, Department of Health, Home Office, Department for Work and
Pensions,
Department for Children, Schools and Families, Department for Transport, Defra
and
the Government Offices.

Info4local has 45,000 subscribers and covers all the latest government news,
consultations,
policy documents, guidance, circulars, newsletters, events, research, related
links
and more. Information stays on info4local for two years, providing a useful,
searchable
archive for users.

So, watch out for more NLPG and NSG related news on info4local.gov.uk!

[1] http://www.info4local.gov.uk/

**10. NLPG NSG Annual Conference and Exhibition, Underpinning Transformational

Government**
With a month to go registrations are up on last year's conference, so book now
if
you want to secure your place. Information about the conference and
conference
programme can be seen on the [1]NLPG and [2]NSG websites.

From November 1st, we will also be opening up registrations to more than 3 per
organisation.

Confirmed exhibitors at the event include:

Gold Sponsors include

Aligned Assets
ESRI UK
Experian QAS

Silver Sponsors include

Bartec Auto ID
Blom Aerofilm
Department for Communities and Local Government
e-Spatial
Envitia
Getmapping
GGP Systems
Hopewiser
 IDOX
Intergraph UK
Postcode Anywhere
Symology
TM Search Choice

Bronze Sponsors include:

Astun Technology
Newgrove Consultants
Spatial Technology.

[1] http://www.nlpg.org.uk
[2] http://www.thensg.org.uk

**11. Exemplar Awards**

The entry date for submissions to this year's Awards is now closed. The
winners
and runners-up will be announced at the Underpinning Transformational
Government
conference, so if you have submitted an entry, make sure you have also
registered
to attend the conference!

The Regional Chairs Group have agreed, for this year, to dedicate the NLPG and
NSG
Best In Region to Andrew Lawes from East Riding of Yorkshire and Paul Fearon
from
St Helens, who have sadly passed away this year.

**12. Data Standards Update**

The CORE team has sent out guidance on how to claim for the 2nd tranche data
standards
payments, which are intended to cover the remaining costs incurred by local
authorities
in complying with the data standards. The claim form will also be published on
the
Ministry of Justice website - [1]www.justice.gov.uk.

While the direction issued in April 2008 requires all electoral registration
officers
to comply with the Standards by December 1st 2009, the 2nd tranche claim form
offers
an opportunity for EROs and administrators to inform us of issues they have in
complying
and what their timetable is for dealing with these. The MoJ prefer to
encourage
compliance through a cooperative approach, rather than pursuing sanctions
against
those who are unable to comply fully.

Please contact David Canning at [2]David.Canning@justice.gsi.gov.uk for any

further
questions or comments.

[1] http://www.justice.gov.uk/
[2] mailto:David.Canning@justice.gsi.gov.uk

**13. CORE Data Matching Validation**

As you are aware the deadline of December 1st 2009 for the CORE project is
fast
approaching. Intelligent Addressing is still offering a validation service
which
 will analyse matches between your Register of Electors (RoE) and the National
Land
and Property Gazetteer (NLPG).
It will, amongst other tests:
check that all UPRNs that are matched to RoE records exist in the NLPG
check whether there are any UPRNs that are duplicated in the RoE data
check whether any of the UPRNs are located outside the local authority area or
do
not exist in the NLPG
check whether any of the RoE xrefs are duplicated
If you wish to take advantage of this free service we will require a file
containing
the Register of Electors unique reference and the NLPG UPRN that is matched to
that
unique reference. The file can also include the address elements from the RoE
as
an optional extra. Please send this file to [1]core@intelligent-
addressing.co.uk.
In return for data we will send all participating local authorities the
results
via email. If you wish to receive a full, detailed report there will be an
additional
service charge of £150 +VAT. The deadline for sending data for this service is
5pm,
Friday, November 21st 2009. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to
contact
Catherine Teare on 020 7747 3500 or [2]core@intelligent-addressing.co.uk.

[1] mailto:core@intelligent-addressing.co.uk
[2] mailto:core@intelligent-addressing.co.uk

**14. CORE Data Matching**

If there are any local authorities who have used the Intelligent Addressing
CORE
data matching service and have not yet requested the DTF file for loading into
their
Electoral Registration software, please contact Catherine Teare on
[1]core@intelligent-addressing.co.uk
or 020 7747 3500.

[1] mailto:core@intelligent-addressing.co.uk

**15. VOA - Match Rates**

The current Council Tax match rate has leapt to 99.12%. There are now eight
regions
with average CTAX match rates of above 99% (only 2 more regions to go) and
there
are 266 authorities with a CTAX match rate above 99%, no local authorities
with
a CTAX match rate of less than 90% and only 11 local authorities with a CTAX
match
rate of less than 95%.

Over 10,280 records have been added to the NDR list since the beginning of
September
and over 28,000 NDR records have been matched in the last month.

**16. ONS Data Distribution**

On Thursday 29th October Intelligent Addressing uploaded the ONS Address
Register
(ONSAR) anomaly records for local authorities to the NLPG ftp site on behalf
of
ONS. If you have not received the distribution email and instructions or if
you
cannot access the data, please contact Catherine Teare on
[1]cteare@intelligent-addressing.co.uk
or 020 7747 3500. If you have any questions related to the data ONS would like
these
posted to the 2011 Census Address Register forum on the Community of Practice
(CoP)
Website using the following link:
[2]http://www.communities.idea.gov.uk/welcome.do.
Congratulations to Solihull for being the first authority to return their
completed
file.

[1] mailto:cteare@intelligent-addressing.co.uk
[2] http://www.communities.idea.gov.uk/welcome.do

**17. Andy Lawes**

For those of you who are not already aware, it is with great sadness that we
must
inform you that Andrew Lawes of East Riding of Yorkshire Council passed away
last
Sunday 4th October. Andy's colleague Marilyn said "Andy has made a massive
contribution
to the MSA community, and to those he has worked with over many years in his
capacity
at East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Those who have known and worked with Andy
over
this time will know that he was a kind, generous man for whom nothing was too
much
trouble and who spent significant amounts of his own time trying to help
others.
In his recent capacity as the Chair of Custodians for Yorkshire and
Humberside,
Andy took great pride in representing and inspiring those who worked with him
to
make his region the best performing in the country. Working with the other
regional
Chairs, Andy has played a significant role in helping develop the NLPG from
its
inception and has been influential in its strategic development".

Many of you will also have personal memories, thoughts, tributes and anecdotes
that
come to mind when you think of Andy. Whilst it is impossible to turn such a
tragic
loss of life into something positive, a suggestion has been made that these
stories
and tributes might be compiled into a 'scrapbook' which will be presented to
Andy's
family as a lasting memento to his tireless work nationally, and which might
be
a comfort to his family in time to come.

If you would like to contribute something to this collection of notes and

memories,
please send them to [1]4405LLPG@barnsley.gov.uk, where they will be compiled
on
behalf of Andy's colleagues at East Riding of Yorkshire Council. This can be
absolutely
anything you wish, be it a note of condolence, a story or anecdote about Andy,
a
personal tribute, a picture or even a poem - the more the better. These will
be
collected and printed before being passed on to Andy's family by his
colleagues
at East Riding.

Also, many of you may know that Andy had a real passion for steam, railways
and
signal boxes. Marilyn has an ongoing memorial fund which will pay for a bench
at
the Railway Museum in York where Andy spent a lot of his free time. She has
raised
£400 so far, and needs another £600. If you would like to make a donation to
the
fund, please contact Marilyn for details.

If you require further information then please contact Marilyn George at East
Riding
([2]Marilyn.George@eastriding.gov.uk) or Riley Marsden at Barnsley
([3]rileymarsden@barnsley.gov.uk).

[1] mailto:4405LLPG@barnsley.gov.uk
[2] mailto:Marilyn.George@eastriding.gov.uk
[3] mailto:rileymarsden@barnsley.gov.uk

**18. Surrey Heath Seek GIS & Gazetteer Officer**

£24,834 - £29,227 + benefits - Camberley, Surrey. 37 hours per week

We are seeking a GIS practitioner to fill a new role within our progressive
ICT
department. Primary responsibility will be for the management and promotion of
the
Council's Land and Property Gazetteer. You will be responsible for technical
management
of the LLPG, street naming and for taking a more strategic view, ensuring use
of
the LLPG is maximised throughout the authority.

You will support the GIS Manager in the delivery of corporate GIS systems and
projects.
In addition, you will assist in maintenance of various software systems such
as
our Intranet mapping system, corporate databases and document management
systems.
You'll be comfortable working with a range of GIS systems, database server
systems,
open source software and web technology.

Please complete and submit your application on line either via the Surrey Jobs
website
link, [1]www.surreyjobs.gov.uk or online at [2]www.surreyheath.gov.uk/council/
vacancies.
Downloaded applications should be sent to the Recruitment Team at Surrey
Heath
House.

Completed applications should be returned no later than: Friday 6 November

2009.

[3]www.surreyheath.gov.uk

[1] http://www.surreyjobs.gov.uk
[2] http://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/council/vacancies
[3] http://www.surreyheath.gov.uk
[NLPG]
**1. Property Classifications in the NLPG**
In light of the work with the Ministry of Justice and ONS on the CORE and
Census
projects, local authorities are advised to check their BLPU classifications in
the
NLPG. This will aid local authorities in both completing the data match for
the
CORE project and resolving the very few remaining unmatched VOA records. It
will
also help in reducing the number of anomalies that local authorities may need
to
resolve as part of the Census project, which are due to be sent out on
November
1st 2009.

**2. NLPG Logins**

Users are reminded that their passwords to the NLPG website expire after 90
days.
Notification of how many days before the expiry can be found on the "welcome
page"
of the website. Passwords can be changed by clicking on the "password changer"
icon
on the login page, and following the instructions.

[NSG]
**1. NSG Uploads**
In September the NSG Hub saw a total of 117 Authorities successfully submit
data.
There are now only a handful of Authorities that have been unable to submit in
the
new DTF7.1 format. If you are having problems please contact the ([1]NSG
Helpdesk)
to discuss a way forward.

Please also remember that submissions should be made within the first ten
working
days of the month. (5 days for London)

[1] mailto:helpdesk@thensg.org.uk

**2. Eton 5**

All Authorities should now have moved to EToN v5. The change over date for use
of
EToN v5 files was January 13th 2009, therefore please make sure that their
street
works systems are EToN5 compliant and that you are publishing an up-to-date,
current
ODD file.

**3. Health Checks**

Health Checks will be carried out on all data submitted in October and be sent
to
you in November. Please contact the ([1]NSG Helpdesk) if you need any help in
solving
any queries.

[1] mailto:helpdesk@thensg.org.uk
**4. NSG Logins**
Users are reminded that their passwords to the NSG website expire after 90
days.
Notification of how many days before the expiry can be found on the "welcome
page"
of the website. Passwords can be changed by clicking on the "password changer"
icon
on the login page, and following the instructions.