The Challenge
Oxfordshire County Council required a robust, accessible evidence base to support strategic planning, policy development and long-term investment decisions across the county. With data spread across multiple sources and themes, there was a clear need for a single, spatially enabled view of Oxfordshire that could bring together social, economic, environmental and infrastructure insights in one place.
The challenge was not just to present data, but to make it clear, comparable and actionable for officers, the public, and decision-makers working across different policy areas.
Our Approach
City Science was commissioned to develop a comprehensive Oxfordshire Baseline using our Cadence GIS platform. We worked closely with Oxfordshire County Council to structure a place-based profile that reflects the real complexity of the county, while remaining intuitive and easy to explore.
The baseline brings together spatial information across eight thematic areas, each carefully curated to support strategic analysis:
- Place: population density, land use and house prices.
- Business & Enterprise: GVA, knowledge economy and high-turnover businesses.
- Workforce, Jobs & Skills: employment rates, worker pay and higher education rate.
- Health & Wellbeing: life expectancy, exercise participation, air quality & obesity.
- Wildlife & Nature: biodiversity, green space accessibility and national landscapes.
- Net Zero & Climate Resilience: emissions, EPC ratings, EV charging points and extreme weather.
- Tackling Inequality: fuel poverty, childhood obesity and household deprivation,
- Connectivity: transport networks and car ownership.
The Outcome
All eight themes are brought together in a single, interactive digital environment, enabling users to explore Oxfordshire through maps, indicators and spatial layers rather than static reports or spreadsheets.
Hosted within Cadence, the Oxfordshire Baseline allows users to:
- Visualise complex datasets clearly and consistently.
- Compare patterns across geographies and themes.
- Identify spatial relationships, risks and opportunities.
- Use a shared evidence base to support collaboration across teams and partners.
The result is a living baseline that supports joined-up thinking, better policy decisions and more targeted investment across Oxfordshire.
You can explore the Oxfordshire Baseline here:
https://cadence360.cityscience.com/projects/cs53616c7465645f5f74331464e1436ec8afc0e0e9dc1c1989575418ff2451fdcd873dc4001ad99f2e7885ad451373e473/ouroxfordshireprofile/latest/story/slide-1
Why It Matters
By presenting data spatially and thematically in one place, the Oxfordshire Baseline helps shift decision-making from siloed analysis to a more integrated, place-based approach. It provides a strong foundation for future strategies covering growth, health, climate action, nature recovery and social equity.