Asset Mapping – Co. Westmeath

Funded by the Digital Innovation Programme 2021
Funding awarded: €52,600

Contact details:
N/A
E: secretar @westmeathcoco.ie
P: 044-933 2000

Who: County Westmeath, known colloquially as ‘The Lake County’, is a medium-sized inland county in Leinster. Part of the Eastern and Midland region, the county has accumulated unprecedented government designated funding for town and village development. Administered by Westmeath County Council and the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), this surge in funding necessitates improved records and data maintenance. To maximally coordinate its benefit to targeted towns, villages, and communities, funding oversight via a new digital records strategy will make allocation more efficient and impactful.

Objectives to:

• Create clearer records explaining the terms of funding
• Combine datasets across the county into a digital reporting tool with the express purpose of monitoring funding effectiveness
• Implement geocodes for assets and information streamlining
• Provide Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards for County Council decision makers
• Provide a public web portal to enhance communications about where and why government funds are allocated

What: All funding assets will be assigned a geocode to create an overall “digital funding system”. This digital tool should record details of all items funded, their funding source, allocation, receiving communities, photos/ images/ video reels, celebration/ launch and impact.

Why: Recently, LEADER and Rural Supports schemes attracted €8m to the county, and substantial funding was secured under the Urban and Rural Regeneration Programmes and Healthy Ireland. Establishing a digital database detailing relevant information on government-funded projects is to enhance monitoring of funding outcomes. The County Council and LCDC’s capacity to generate evidence-based insights to direct development programmes and projects will be improved. Adopting a digital management systems approach further acknowledges how economic and social interactions, have become organised around digital information networks connecting data, processes, and people.

Scale: County Westmeath, looking at over €8m worth of government funded projects.

Technologies: Geocoding, mapping, Business Intelligence (BI) Dashboards.

Impact and Lessons Learned: N/A

UN Sustainable Development Goals: