Regional Development Monitor

The Regional Development Monitor (RDM), which was launched in November 2022, is a publicly accessible data website that provides a national mapping and visualisation tool with a range of analytics dashboards, designed to enhance understanding of key societal trends in Ireland to aid better decision making and is the biggest open source data hub in the State.

The RDM is a collaborative project between the three Regional Assemblies in Ireland, the All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO) at Maynooth University and spatial infrastructure partners the Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) via the GeoHive platform.

The monitor is built on GeoHive, the National Geospatial Data Hub from OSI which collates national authority data sources from agencies such as the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and reflects the latest research and expertise. Accessible to all online and updated quarterly, the Regional Development Monitor enables easy visualization and analysis of recent trends using interactive online dashboards, collating data from across a wide variety of authoritative data from national agencies.

Principally designed to monitor performance of Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs), the RDM assists government departments, Regional Assemblies, Local Authorities, planners, policy makers, researchers, Elected Members and members of the public. The aim of the RDM Hub is to collate and visualise a range of relevant socio-economic and environmental indicators to present the performance of each of the three regions in terms of achieving the objectives outlined in their respective Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES).

The RDM enables an easy to use and effective way of monitoring the RSES and advancing evidence-based policy making and implementation. The RDM has a focus on indicators related to the Regional Strategic Outcomes (RSOs) of the RSESs along with their appropriate socio-economic and environmental variables, categorised into four key principles: Our People and Places, Our Green & Sustainable Future, Our Region’s Economy, and an All-Island Perspective.

On the 28th September 2023, the Irish Planning Institute (IPI) Planning Awards took place in Clontarf Castle. This year’s Planning Awards recognised innovation and excellence in Irish planning. The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, on behalf of the three Regional Assemblies in Ireland, were joint winners of the IPI Planning Awards 2023 under the Research and Innovation category for the Regional Development Monitor.

The aim of the RDM Hub is to collate and visualise a range of relevant socio-economic and environmental indicators to present the performance of each of the three regions in terms of achieving the objectives outlined in their respective Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES). The RDM provides a series of new national mapping and visualisation infrastructures to assist Government Departments, Regional Assemblies, Local Authorities, Planners, Policy Makers, Researchers and members of the public in gaining a greater insight into social, economic and environmental trends to aid better decision making.

The RDM will focus on indicators related to the Regional Strategic Outcomes (RSOs) of the RSESs along with their appropriate socio-economic and environmental variables and will be categorised into four key principles: Our People and Places, Our Green & Sustainable Future, Our Region’s Economy, and an All-Island Perspective.

Also in this section

RSES

Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Eastern and Midland Region.

Policy and Research

Reports and Resources