FOI Request - Use of Data Analytics

Request 101003913622

I am submitting the following Freedom of Information Request for information relating to uses of data analytics, predictive analytics, or algorithmic automated systems used for processing, risk assessment, scoring systems or automated decision making within the jurisdiction of your authority. This could include the use of these data systems in order to draw insights from large and integrated datasets, or to influence decisions about resources, funding or service delivery. This could include, but may not be limited to, uses of predictive analytics in children's services, adult social care, health care, housing and homelessness, low-income and debt support, fraud detection, or policing.

1. Please can you provide a list of the council's data analytics, predictive analytics, or algorithmic automated systems?
2. Which areas are they used in? (For example, "children's services relating to Child Criminal Exploitation" or "homelessness provision").
3. Which different datasets are used to contribute to this and where does the data come from?
4. Please can you tell me the names of any projects, provisions, or pilots you have at the moment relating to these?
5. The names of companies you have contracts with to supply data analytics, predictive analytics, or algorithmic automated systems.
6. The amount of funding supplied by any companies relating to data analytics.

Response 12-02-2026

HR/ICT:
1. We have limited use of Power BI as a data analytics tool
2. Currently Power BI is used by ICT staff to create dashboards for services
3. Data comes from systems that we can access the data from, either by extract or by linking directly into the back end database.   An example of a dashboard is one that uses an extract from our print management system to display details of the number of print jobs from each printer.
4. None
5. None
6. None

Development (Growth, Planning, and Climate):
1. Microsoft – Excel, Access, Power BI. ESRI – ArcPRO/ArcGIS/ArcGIS Online
2. Used within services covered by Growth, Planning, and Climate
3. Various Information held within council back-offices systems and/or information provided by other public bodies
4. Used for various data management processes including visualization and analysis of data used to compile information, perform data analytics, and distribute results/information via dashboards and reports.
5. See question 1
6. Not applicable

Environmental and Commercial:
Transportation
1. Elgin Traffic Model
2. Transportation
3. Traffic Counts, TomTom data, GIS Mapping
4. Elgin Traffic Model is being used to support the analysis of development impacts on the road network in Elgin as part of the review od our Local Development Plan.
5. No direct contracts for data supply as the model has been built and is hosted by a third party consultant.
6. None.

Public Transport
4. As part of future plans to optimise and improve our service offer for demand responsive travel, (m.connect) we are working with our existing delivery partner to explore how/if simulation of existing usage data could be beneficial to service delivery/optimisation.  We are also having open discussions with other Scottish Local Authorities about their experience of using data analytics in-house.

5. Liftango – as part of an initial trial, referred to above. Data and analytics are being handled directly by the company, who will report their findings to us in due course.

NIL response from:
Adult Social Care
Housing, Properties and Communities
Performance
Children and Families Social Work
Education and Communities