Researchers at the Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) have opened a node to join a global network of Web Observatories.

A Web Observatory is a facility for gathering data on the internet, answer questions about the Web and its users, and investigate how each affects the other.

According to ANZSOG’s project leader Anni Rowland-Campbell, such observatories can provide government agencies with access to data, analytic tools and visualisations to support the development of theoretical and practical knowledge.

Ms Rowland-Campbell said the Australian Web Observatory would be one of the first to focus almost solely on policy, and is being hosted at the University of South Australia.

She says it will bring public sector policy people into direct contact with the cutting-edge of socio-technological research.

“From the outset, ANZSOG has sought to bridge this gap between research and practice,” Ms Rowland-Campbell said.

“The new and valuable element is the network and the community which Australia can now join by having its own Web Observatory, and the ability to share data, analytics, visualisations and knowledge both locally and globally.”

Ms Rowland-Campbell said the Web Observatory could help members of the public service become more digitally-literate, by sharing data, analytics, visualisations, and most importantly - the learning experiences other have gained by using the system.

ANZSOG says it is working on an executive workshop to give senior managers and directors the confidence and perspective to boost their digital leadership.