A data system to improve the allocation of prison space, created by a former prison officer, has won the Civil Service Data Challenge.
Project Constellation won the competition, beating off three other shortlisted projects. Submitted by Ministry of Justice (MoJ) product manager John Saunders, the project uses data to optimise prison space management using algorithms and data analytics to predict in real time the availability of prison space.
Members of the Department for Business and Trade, the Ministry of Defence, energy regulator Ofgem were also involved in Project Constellation.
“I want to ensure that we are using our space to the best of our ability to reduce wasted time, money and effort,” said Saunders, adding: “Having been a prison officer I know how stressful it is when you’re being chased for space. I want to replace a legacy system, create senior backing to develop a new system, and raise awareness.”
Commitment to implementation
As the winning idea, Project Constellation will receive £50,000 of technical support and the backing of senior civil service leaders to get the idea implemented.
This was the third Civil Service Data Challenge, which is open to all civil servants. No matter the department or grade, civil servants are invited to submit a data-led project idea, or join a team. The projects must offer a solution to a societal challenge or technical issue facing the civil service.
The four finalists had to pitch their idea to judges from technology firm NTT Data UK, the Office for National Statistics, the Home Office, DEFRA, NHS England, HMRC and the Central Digital and Data Office. Each team had to respond to a 15 minute Q&A from the judges.
Project Constellation beat off Genie, an idea put forward by Corey Lankovits, lead service designer at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to streamline data sharing between the NHS and DWP. Using data the project aimed to automate data sharing on deceased individuals, which would reduce benefits overpayments.
Other finalist projects were: NHS geospatial route planning idea put forward by Paul Caroll, principal data scientist at the Department of Health and Social Care, using open source software and data to improve NHS workers' journeys when visiting patients at home and would lead to increased coverage and lower vehicle emissions; and POSUM, a generative AI concept from the Home Office.
