GeoPlace LLP is the central source of information for all UK addresses and streets. It manages the data that officially defines more than 46.5 million addresses and 1.58 million streets in the UK. It is the guardian of the UK’s Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs) and Unique Street Reference Numbers (USRNs), responsible for collating, managing and maintaining the primary UK authoritative geospatial address and street datasets.
UK Authority’s new briefing paper, “Sharing data to support vulnerable people,” emphasizes the importance of sharing data to support vulnerable individuals. The successful sharing of data across NHS and local government during the Covid-19 crisis changed the data sharing mindset in many organisations.
A key learning was the approach of sharing ‘flags’ linked to properties, rather than individuals, using common data standards such as the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). GeoPlace has been working with UKAuthority to explore how key learnings from this experience that will create a blueprint for identify sharing data effectively to help identify, support and protect vulnerable people. This could potentially improve the response of emergency services in multi-agency operations for civil contingencies. The final briefing report sets out key steps, including:
- Identifying vulnerability risk attributes and the datasets where they reside
- Identifying partners for data sharing
- Considering the information governance aspects
- Starting with the goal of minimising the sharing of personal data