Projects/Where Does My Money Go/Data for UX

= Managing CRA data in the User Experience =

Country and Regional Analysis data forms the backbone of the data we have. It is highly structured, in a way that will allow us to build a fully integrated user experience. However, it is also complex and not easy to understand. We need to be selective in what we present, at the same time taking care not to miss important contexts for users.

These notes explain the data classification in simple terms, and highlight some structural considerations which make up the narrative.

Data classification
Spending items are expressed as monetary values against the year. Metadata is as follows:


 * department
 * ~60 departments
 * some departments have logos and websites
 * cofog function/subfunction
 * english local authority data does not break down into subfunctions (mismatch with PESA data)
 * program id and alias
 * programs belong exclusively to departments
 * program id and alias falls down at ENG_LA level, indicated by Dummy sprogs
 * identifiable or non-identifiable
 * identifiable has region, non-ID does not
 * non-ID is mostly on defense and public sector debt, which hardly feature at regional level
 * regional allocation
 * identifiable only
 * includes overseas spending
 * central government or local authority
 * central government is spread clearly over departments
 * local authority spending is almost all regionally identifiable, apart from a negligible amount allocated to public sector debt.
 * local authority spending is not associated with government departments
 * local authority spending in northern ireland spending is negligible
 * capital or current



Structural considerations
Important structural considerations, mostly to do with the difference between central and local government spending:


 * Central government spending can be specified as national or regional, whereas local government spending will eventually be traceable to specific authorities.
 * Central government spending is spread clearly over departments. Local authority spending is not associated with departments.
 * Local authority spending in Northern Ireland does not feature in the budgets we have. We think this is probably negligible.
 * Defense spending and public sector debt spending is almost all by central government, on a nationwide basis. Both are very small at local level - you can see this by comparing these numbers on bubble chart from overview to individual nations.
 * Health care is a special case, in that spending happens through trusts and regional health authorities, via the Department of Health.