RAnLab
Supporting local data for local insight
The Regional Analytics Lab (RAnLab) is a part of the Harris Centre at Memorial University that aims to support evidence-based policies for regional development through capacity building initiatives and regional economic and spatial analytics.
What does RAnLab do?
RAnLab is a data analytics and modeling unit that:
- conducts quantitative regional economic and spatial analysis
- uses detailed geo-spacial local-level data to assess the capacity and sustainability of industries, labour markets, population and other areas necessary for evidence-informed planning and decision-making
- works with partners in industry, community and government to develop operational geo-spatial and regional analytics models that can assess the local environment, and provide analytic models to demonstrate potential impacts of planned activities, policies, and/or development intitiatives considering projected future changes in things such as demography, commodity prices, technology, labour markets, housing, transportation and health care demands. This includes modelling the effects of the introduction, reorganization, or removal of industries or services from a region.
How We Can Help You
Data to Decisions is a series which aims to provide a practical guide for people looking to incorporate more data into their everyday decision-making.
Data to Decisions explores the following areas:
- Data by Geographical Areas
- Data Quality
- Data Collection
- Making Sense of the Census
- Data Sources
To access these Data to Decisions learning materials, please visit www.ranlab.ca/data-to-decisions
RAnLab supports real-world decision making by combining observed localized data and contextual knowledge with advanced data analytics.
RAnLab's work is guided by partner engagement – we'll collaborate with you to decide how we can best help you with the challenges you're working hard to solve.
All partnerships are flexible. The projects we complete and the support we provide is fully customizable to your needs. This includes custom tailored processes, analysis, and outputs.
To learn more, please visit www.ranlab.ca/local-data-expertise
How it Started
Established by Dr. Alvin Simms and Jamie Ward (in collaboration with Dr. David Freshwater and the Harris Centre’s director, Dr. Rob Greenwood), the Regional Analytics Laboratory (RAnLab) emerged about 10 years ago. The group recognized that the province was in need of demographic and labour market information that focused on the specific, regional nature of the province. Although the province was coming out of an unprecedented economic boom at the time, Newfoundland and Labrador was also facing a declining and aging population and increasing urbanization. It was critical for people in the province to be presented with a clear and accurate picture of the province’s future demographic reality in order to start moving towards solutions, and that's exactly what RAnLab does.
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Want to know more? Get in touch!
Visit www.ranlab.ca or email ranlab@mun.ca and we'll make sure your email gets to the right person.