Planners, policy makers and researchers now have access to a free online facility from NUI Maynooth which provides a one-stop data and mapping portal to all publicly available information to assist in good planning and evidence-based decision making. The All Island Research Observatory (AIRO) was launched last night by the Green Party’s Minister for Sustainable Planning, Ciarán Cuffe.

AIRO is the latest project from leading NUI Maynooth research institutes NIRSA (the National Institute for Regional and Spatial) and NCG (National Centre for Geocomputation) and has been in development for three years. By accessing the AIRO database, policy makers can quickly and effectively analyse a wide range of data, and create, explore and interact with maps at all scales from the local to European.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Planning Ciarán Cuffe said:

“AIRO is a fantastic venture that cuts right to the heart of what is required for sustainable planning. We have survived for too long in Ireland without ready access to joined-up information, based on real data from many sources. This will open evidence based decision making up to many more people in all parts of civil society and public life, saving money and helping us to avoid mistakes of the past. It is to be greatly welcomed.”

AIRO information is available for the whole island of Ireland and will be updated on an ongoing basis, including regular updates on its current research projects and new data sets. It brings together data sets from the CSO, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Department of Environment, Department of Transport, Department of Health and Children, Department of Social Protection, Eurostat, and several other sources for the first time. It is funded under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI4).

In particular, AIRO will provide huge time and cost savings as numerous agencies will no longer need to replicate work and undertake the same analysis for their own needs, but can simply use the AIRO site. The creation of maps at a multitude of levels is extremely time-consuming and requires expertise to produce. AIRO allows non-expert users to quickly and easily create the analysis of data they require, at the touch of a button.

Director of NIRSA Professor Rob Kitchin said the requirement for evidence-based decision making in the planning process has been recognised by NIRSA for the past several years. "We have seen the legacy of poor planning throughout the Celtic Tiger years in the number of ghost estates we are now trying to deal with. Had something like AIRO been available then, planners may have been in a position to call a halt sooner. Its uses run much deeper than housing though and provide a framework for us to better plan our public resources North and South in every area for the future", he said.

AIRO is currently available to public sector agencies and researchers. Further information and demonstrations are available at www.airo.ie