Faces
Faces information relates to the characteristics of a certain place such as socio-economic or health data. It is this type of data that is most commonly referred to in the development of policy. Information such as the prevalence of diabetes, rates of crime, house prices or educational standards within defined areas can assist in targeting services to meet public needs. Increasingly the general public are also making use of this type of data to find out more about their neighbourhood or to inform a decision to invest in property via a number of commercial websites.
Faces information is seen, within the geographic information industry, to incorporate:
Attribute Data - Information about a place or places.
These definitions are taken from the first 'Key Geographies' paper.
This type of data is being analysed by ever more innovative geographic information systems to give more sophisticated information to policy makers. As technological systems continue to develop so too does the innovative ways in which policy can be informed and delivered by this geographic information. Developing systems to enable greater sharing of geographic information across the public sector will create efficiencies and add further impetus to the innovation of geographic information systems.