DataJoinery
SnowflakeeThekwini Municipality is a forward-thinking municipality that understands the positive impact technology and data can have on its organisation and citizens. To realise its vision of being the most caring and liveable region in South Africa, it knew that having accurate data at its fingertips was key. This led to the creation of its pioneering online information hub, StratHub, which provides reliable information, a single source of truth, for local businesses and citizens.
Through the StratHub we’ll be able to provide seamless quality service by making use of data and analytics to move from reactionary to anticipatory governance. Let us continue to work together and make eThekwini the city of the future.
The challenge
Managing the complexity of multiple and varied data sources
One core component of the StratHub that eThekwini Municipality needed help to develop was a Liveability Index. Accurately bringing together and measuring liveability data is complex. With an expert data solutions partner, the municipality could overcome the challenges of:
- Incorporating the broad range of components that make up liveability Housing Neighbourhood Transportation Environment Health Safety Engagement Opportunities Education
- Merging datasets from many sources Such as different government departments.
- Cleaning and sorting data in different formats XLS and CSV files of varying sizes, with up to millions of rows per source.
The solution
Empowering businesses and citizens with a real-time Liveability Index
WeDoTech worked closely with the municipality to develop a real-time Liveability Index calculator. The calculator app helps citizens make informed decisions about where to live in the region, using simple, accurate data, and is a vital part of the StratHub platform.
This level of detailed, accurate data provides the context that makes the Liveability Index a powerful decision-making tool.
The index pulls in data from:
How we built it
Solution components
WeDoTech used the DataJoinery platform to clean and centralise the data, bringing together every aspect of liveability to form a real-time index that all citizens can use.
With DataJoinery, the team could access and load municipal data and spreadsheets into Snowflake's data cloud, where millions of data records are summarised into the Liveability Index.
The solution's tech stack also:
- Refreshes automatically with updated information through the DataJoinery data pipeline.
- Keeps data integrity consistent, as DataJoinery runs automatic unit tests to verify the data and proactively resolve any issues.
- Makes it easy to add further data sources to the data model, enriching the data and fine-tuning the Liveability Index.
- Adds further context to the data using Python libraries.
The outcome
Harnessing innovation and the power of data to change lives
The launch of the Liveability Index and the StratHub is a groundbreaking step for eThekwini Municipality, and leads the way for other regions to support their citizens with smart, data-driven solutions.
By bringing together multiple data sources, WeDoTech provided a practical visual data tool that supports smarter decision-making for citizens and businesses. As a result, the municipality could further its vision of being a cultural and economic hub that champions:
Through its partnership with WeDoTech and other leading providers, the municipality can access accurate, up-to-date information to better manage resources, encourage business investment and empower its citizens.