A new Analytics Partnership Board has been set up to oversee the development of predictive analytics and data science across Essex Partners.

Essex County Council, Essex Police and the University of Essex are leading the Essex Innovates project to further build the county’s capability to use data and analytics to inform and improve the way we work across the system.

Essex Innovates has set an ambitious vision “To make Essex national leaders using the power of data science and AI to tackle public policy challenges.”

Board members will focus on how we deliver impactful and sustainable analytics to ethically high standards across Essex by providing assurance and oversight on all major predictive analytical and data science projects involving partnership data.

The first Analytics Partnership Board took place on 9 October and reviewed the results of a partnership self-assessment, which has been undertaken to identify assets, capabilities and capacity across the system to deal with data. The Board also discussed the core recommendations for phase 2 of the project to build a set of guiding principles that all partners can sign up to, to ensure that we are following the highest possible ethical and protection standards in projects using data science and AI.

Essex Innovates is one of the eight current priority projects being delivered as part of The Future of Essex to join up skills and capabilities across the whole system for the benefit of local people and businesses. Essex Innovates is sponsored by Gavin Jones, Chief Executive Essex County Council, Anthony Forster, Vice Chancellor University of Essex and BJ Harrington, Chief Constable Essex Police.