Age-Friendly Canberra

Project Info

Project 77 thumbnail

Team Name


Project 77


Team Members


9 members with unpublished profiles.

Project Description


Please view our Github page for a comprehensive project profile: https://github.com/ma-al/gh18-p77

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The Age-Friendly Planning Tool maps government data on population projections for the Canberra region and assists users in identifying areas requiring increased support and development, now and into the future.

The intended users of our tool are town planners, government and private enterprises - and potentially older Canberrans.

Our tool maps data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on ageing population predictions and data from the Department of Health on current aged care services in Canberra to help understand what areas may require age-friendly resources and infrastructure. It also combines ACT Government data on bus stop locations to identify where additional stops may be needed to support older residents who rely on public transport.

The age-friendly planning tool presents a front-end visualisation that is available on desktop and mobile. It relies on an analytics back-end for data processing and stores data up in the cloud. This architecture enables flexibility and mobility on the part of the user and allows the system to scale for higher performance.

The intention of our project is to demonstrate how a range of government data can be combined to predict and support the needs of older Canberrans. In addition to the datasets we have used, additional government data such as data on footpaths, pedestrian crashes, hospitals and health care facilities could be included to better identify all areas of development to prepare for aging populations. Our mapping tool could be expanded on a larger geographic scale to encourage a whole-of-government collaborative approach across Australia.


Data Story


According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2016 Census, the Australian population is ageing, with the proportion of people over 65 steadily increasing over the last century.

As we age, our housing, transport and social needs change. Areas with more older residents may require additional resources that are often only identified after residents experience hardship.

We spoke to Lucy who volunteers at Villaggio Sant' Antonio’s, a local aged care facility, who told us that the footpaths in the area are too narrow and residents can’t walk side by side or use their mobility scooters. Many parks and community spaces in the area also have poor wheelchair accessibility. This discourages residents from exercising and socialising with friends outdoors. Our tool can help plan for these issues in advance.

Our tool will help town planners, government and private enterprises plan how to make Canberra more inclusive for older Canberrans. The tool combines population projections with health services and infrastructure data to identify areas requiring increased support and development, now and into the future.

Our tool maps ageing population predictions data and current aged care services data for Canberra to help understand what areas will require age-friendly resources and infrastructure. It also combines local ACT Government data on bus stop locations to identify where additional bus stops may be needed to support older residents.

A private business could use the tool to plan the location of its next aged care residence by cross-referencing population projections with location of current facilities. In addition, the ACT government could also use the tool to identify areas where facilities (such as footpaths, bus stops and medical centres) need to be upgraded to better support the changing community. In this way, the tool can help improve the quality of life of residents such as those in St Antonio’s.

Over time this concept could be expanded to include a plethora of recreational, health, education services, etc. on a national level to encourage a collaborative approach nationally to support an ageing population, and empower senior residents to make choices based on this information.


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Team DataSets

Aged care services list

Description of Use This dataset was used in the mapping tool to map current locations of various aged care services, and to identify gaps where they can be placed in the future based on population projections.

Data Set

Public furniture in the ACT

Description of Use This dataset was used on the mapping tool to map current locations of public furniture, and to identify gaps where they can be placed in the future based on population projections.

Data Set

Bus stops in the ACT

Description of Use This dataset was used on the mapping tool to map current locations of bus stops, and to identify gaps where bus stops can be placed in the future based on population projections.

Data Set

Population projections, 2012 (base) to 2027 for all states and territories at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) by sex and age

Description of Use This data set was used as the basis of the mapping tool's year-on-year population projections in ACT, by suburb, and for those aged 65 and over.

Data Set

Challenge Entries

Caring Canberra

How do we make Canberra the most inclusive city in Australia?

Go to Challenge | 9 teams have entered this challenge.

Australians' stories

What meaningful ways can we tell the story about what it's like to be an Australian, and in what ways some Australians live very different lives than others? How can we make people more aware of the issues facing themselves and others as they go through life?

Go to Challenge | 34 teams have entered this challenge.

Future Canberra

What does a sustainable, resilient and liveable Canberra look like – and what do we need to do to make that happen?

Go to Challenge | 9 teams have entered this challenge.

Save Lives With Data

How can we use data and technology to better the health of the Australian population, and what could be the economic impacts?

Go to Challenge | 35 teams have entered this challenge.

ACT GovHack Acceleration Award – sponsored by the ACT Government in partnership with the Canberra Innovation Network

What is life in Canberra?

Go to Challenge | 7 teams have entered this challenge.

Story telling with data

Awarded to the team who use data to tell the most compelling story about Canberra

Go to Challenge | 5 teams have entered this challenge.

More than apps and maps: help government decide with data

How can we combine data to help government make their big and small decisions? Government makes decisions every day—with long term consequences such as the location of a school, or on a small scale such as the rostering of helpdesk staff.

Go to Challenge | 58 teams have entered this challenge.

Bounty: Integrating AIHW

How can we integrate AIHW and other data sources in interesting ways?

Go to Challenge | 28 teams have entered this challenge.