Building a Social Observatory

The design of a social observatory involves preliminarily the setting of the system of information collection and its contents. The starting point is undoubtedly the structural analysis, making it possible to put a network between the main social services in an area. The aim is to systematically collect information, process it and present it to describe the evolutionary trends of the phenomenon, to make forecasts about medium to long term in relation to Services activity. It can identify both direct and indirect indicators able to describe the phenomenon, treat the periodic survey of the same, and carry out subsequent insights by ad hoc social research. To start and put at system a social observatory system is however not only a problem of human or technological resources, but it is primarily a work on defining the architecture of information flows, to involve the operational offices and to direct information on the basis of the utility they can get at the level of the management processes and local government. All this is not without questions and problems. The data collected in a social observatory are in fact different for types of needs, destination, possibilities for further study, existence of data–base available, etc. Essential in order to provide reliable readings is therefore the role of the interpreter. The analysis of social phenomena, especially in the medium or small local context, must rely on expertise that combine data analysis with the evaluation and management. In this, the role of the sociologist appears central.