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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	NIA_NGN_300
Title	Customer Vulnerability Mapping Tool
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Demographics) 90%; Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Other oil and gas) 10%;
Research Types	Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields	PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics) 50%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 50%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour) 100%
Principal Investigator	Project Contact No email address given Northern Gas Network (NGN) North East
Award Type	Network Innovation Allowance
Funding Source	Ofgem
Start Date	01 October 2021
End Date	31 December 2022
Duration	ENA months
Total Grant Value	£104,666
Industrial Sectors	Energy
Region	North East
Programme	Network Innovation Allowance
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Project Contact , Northern Gas Network (NGN) North East (100.000%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , Northern Gas Networks (0.000%)
Web Site	https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/NIA_NGN_300
Objectives	The proposed visualisation tool will tackle the following problems:  1. To build on NGNs data best practice it will be key to bring together far more publicly available data than currently possible - this will be key when planning how to target initiatives and responses (the who to reach and how). Being able to overlay multiple datasets and combine open-source data with in house datasets will help NGN to better identify gaps where current activity may be falling short.  2. NGN needs to easily demonstrate why initiatives are important in helping customer services for vulnerable customers. This would also be useful for OFGEM reporting in RIIO-2.  3. Decision making around customer need and vulnerability is complex - this mapping tool will help NGN to understand the layers of need and the cumulative effect that environmental, societal, economic and community factors can have on a customers resilience. Being able to understand this should help NGN make good planning decisions regarding spend, and where to target resources for the most positive customer impact.  We will build a unique, innovative data analysis and visualisation tool which is able to consume data from a variety of sources and geolocate them into a common standard. The data will be presented through a web application with a navigable map and a mobile app which is able to geolocate the user and navigate to different locations. The aggregated data will be available to the user as filters which are displayed on the map to show where factors compound to create areas of highest need and vulnerability. This will allow a user to either specify a location and view the specific needs of the community, or query where the highest specific needs are located. This quantitative statistical data can be augmented with other information about communities, such as social media feeds, local radio broadcasts, news, information from local managers, etc. In addition to statistical data the system can include operational areas for various organisations such as charities to create a unique, holistic view of what an areas needs are and how they can best be met. It could also include live data, such as weather and power outage information.   This project will focus on:  Identifying and manipulating multiple sources of public and private data into a common format Producing a web application capable of displaying the data Producing a mobile application which allows the data to be navigated and used in the field A trial period where the applications are used in live environments and in live activities where additional data sources and functionality can be identified and developed.  Stage 1 Identify data to be included and sources of that data. Agree formats for data, eg postcode level, LSOA level etc. Build bespoke processors for data to manipulate them into agreed formats and add them to a secure data store.  Stage 2 Identify appropriate user interface for the web application through stakeholder workshops and prototyping. Develop of full stack web application including web server and front-end tool. Data security and user testing.  Stage 3 Identify appropriate user interface for the mobile application through stakeholder workshops and prototyping. Develop of full stack mobile application including web server and front-end tool. Data security and user testing.  Stage 4 Live trial where NGN are able to use the mobile and web app for live activities. Defect and enhancement prioritization and development to fix any bugs in the system and add requested data and functionality. Final report delivery outlining user feedback, development and partnership opportunities and recommendations for BAU deployment.
Abstract	There is a pressing need to quickly identify and visualise multiple factors impacting priority and vulnerable customers in a way which makes the data seamlessly accessible to teams across the business. The project is to build a collaborative platform which will combine data from across the business with open-source and paid for external data sources to create and interactive visual map which will allow staff to see where their decisions will have the largest impact on customers and where the most vulnerable customers are adversely affected by multiple factors such as poor housing, air quality and access to services.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	02/11/22