Local authorities taking part in a key e-government project have
been warned not to use unaccredited software suppliers.
Plans to create the UK's first national land and property database
- a key plank in delivering efficient online services to the public
- require councils to create local gazetteers, which will link to
the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG).
Suppliers are accredited to the project by Local Government
Information House, a subsidiary of the Improvement and Development
Agency, but some local authorities have ignored this advice,
according to Intelligent Addressing, the supplier overseeing the
creation of local gazetteers.
Local gazetteers created by unaccredited suppliers are more likely
to be below the standard required to link to the national
gazetteer, it claims. Councils will then incur costs to ensure that
their address and property data is up to scratch.
"While there are some very good data cleansing companies in the
market some of them have alluring, but not accredited, software,"
said Michael Nicholson, chairman of Intelligent Addressing.
"It is likely to save you trouble in the medium term to use a
company that is accredited."
To create a local land and property gazetteer councils must match
address data to the national street gazetteer as well as relevant
records already in the NLPG.
For more details e-mail steven.brandwood@idea.gov.uk