Government Analysis Function > Case studies > Culture and relationships > Excellence in analysis > Case study: Launching ‘Explore Local Statistics Service’, ONS

Case study: Launching ‘Explore Local Statistics Service’, ONS

Case study details

Metadata item Details
Owner:Analysis Function Central Team
Who this is for:All government analysts
Contact:Explore.Local.Statistics@ons.gov.uk

Team name and Department

Explore Subnational Statistics Team, Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Situation and Action

Local-level statistics are essential for policy making, but they are often fragmented, inconsistently formatted, and difficult to access – especially for non-technical users.  Local authorities and the public struggled to find and interpret data relevant to their areas.

The Explore Subnational Statistics team at ONS tackled this by launching the Explore Local Statistics (ELS) service. They:

  • Aggregated and standardised dozens of datasets from across government
  • Built an automated ingestion pipeline to produce tidy, 5-star Linked Open Data
  • Designed a dual user journey: one led by geography, the other by indicator
  • Developed intuitive visualisations using median absolute deviation to show distributions
  • Integrated accessibility features like alt-text and keyboard navigation
  • Enabled comparisons across similar areas using ONS clustering analysis
  • Conducted extensive user research and testing to ensure clarity and usability

Outcome / Impact / Results

The ELS service has become a flagship tool for communicating local data:

  • 93% of users found it easy to use; 57% rated it “extremely useful”
  • Its design patterns are now being adopted across the ONS website and showcased internationally
  • The code has been reused by the Deputy Prime Minister’s Data Unit and the Office for Local Government, reducing duplication and increasing value across government
  • It enabled the publication of highly granular Gross Value Added data at LSOA level via the Nomis API.

Without this work, local policy makers and the public would continue to face barriers in accessing and using critical data for decision-making.

Feedback and endorsement

The project won the Royal Statistical Society Campion award for excellence in official statistics, where Sir Robert Chote praised it for “embodying the spirit of statistics for the public good” and was awarded joint winner of the 2025 Analysis in Government (AiG) Award for Communication. Judges at the Analysis in Government Awards commented the work was an, “Excellent bid – clear thought has gone into the design and presentation of the product, with an award-winning service as the result.”

The team also presented a well-attended live virtual event about the tool at Analysis in Government (AiG) Month in May 2025.

Further reading

How this work supports the Analysis Function strategy

ONS’s work demonstrated behaviours which support the Analysis Function strategy by improving access to local data for decision-making, used automation and open data standards, and enabled cross-government reuse of code and design.

Find out more: a strategy for analysis in government 2025 to 2028

 

Return to Case Studies

Latest