Housing needs assessments' are now a required part of every good local authority housing strategy.
The traditional method of obtaining data has been by an expensive survey, giving subjective results from a limited sample. Now there is a better way for local authorities to get the information faster, quicker and cheaper, by 'mining' your own operational databases. The operational computerised systems in district councils carry literally masses of data that can be used to help assess housing needs. It can also show when there have been several moves from an address. Data mining' techniques can unlock and utilise this data to show when people move, how often, and even where to.