SALDRU launches interactive online platform The Community Explorer

What is the Community Explorer?

Effective community-level development requires granular insights into well-being disparities. The Community Explorer is an interactive online platform designed to map, analyse, and visualise community-level well-being data in South Africa. The platform provides researchers, policymakers and civil society with hyper-local data to help them design and implement well-targeted interventions. It builds on the experience and success of SALDRU’s Youth Explorer, a platform that supports the work of the National Pathway Management Network within the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention by providing the ‘single source of truth’ for accurate data on youth. The project was conducted in collaboration with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and with the financial support of the European Union through the EU-AFD Research Facility on Inequalities.

 

Key Features to support Data-Driven Change: 

•    Comprehensive Data Layers: the Explorer integrates community well-being indicators (2011 census)  and labour market data (Spatial Tax Panel) with essential service locations and provisions, each of which are relevant to various sub-groups within the community (e.g. children, elderly, youth, employed, unemployed, men or women). Data can be visualised spatially, graphed, or downloaded for analysis. 

 

Figure 1: (L) NEET youth aged 15-35 in the City of Cape Town; and (R) proportion of female NEET youth aged 15-35 in the City of Cape Town.
    
•    Spatial Analysis: the portal provides localised insights, which are critical for labour market planning, resource allocation, policy design, and inequality monitoring. 

•    Service Point Information: The Explorer team works with government departments to gather and verify details on services and resources (locations, contacts, hours). Data is downloadable for external use; service point locations are linked to Google Maps. 

 

Figure 2: Verified location of Department of Employment and Labour Centres, with additional information.

•    Gap Analysis: By allowing users to visually overlay the different datasets, the Explorer exposes service deserts and helps to guide informed decision-making and resource allocation.

 

Figure 3: Location of institutes of higher learning, for proportion of young people with Matric, in Steve Tshwete Municipality

•    Comparison Tool: The portal features a comparison tool that enables users to analyse disparities between geographic areas (such as wards or municipalities). As such, it allows for the contextualisation of inequalities relative to population size and local conditions.

From Data to Action:

The Community Explorer drives data-informed change in South Africa by transforming local-level insights into targeted action. It empowers stakeholders to address specific community needs, using up-to-date data on well-being, services, and economic opportunities. 

The Youth Explorer is a critical data tool within the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), providing accurate, location-specific insights on services for young people and helping identify ‘service deserts’. It supports government departments and Harambee, the lead of the National Pathway Management Network (NPMN), in connecting youth to nearby services through platforms like SAYouth.mobi and guiding policy and resource allocation. A recent TVET pilot within the NPMN showcased how Youth Explorer data can improve curriculum planning, work-integrated learning, and alignment with local labour markets by addressing gaps in employer engagement, labour market insights, and job readiness support. By offering interactive, localised dashboards and labour market maps, the Youth Explorer can empower TVET colleges to make strategic, data-informed decisions and build stronger partnerships with employers and other stakeholders.

      Mapaseka Setlhodi - National Pathway Management Network Lead in the Project Management Office of the Private Office of the Presidency of South Africa

The Youth Explorer portal has significantly assisted the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs to empower and capacitate provincial sector departments, municipalities and government agencies to explore youth data... The portal incorporates valuable indicators and service pointers.

      Duduzile Sibiya - Provincial Climate Change Coordinator, Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs, Mpumalanga
 
By revealing spatial inequalities and tracking progress, the tool ensures that resources reach those most in need, fostering inclusive growth and accountability.

Join the Movement!

The Community Explorer is more than a data platform – it is a powerful engine for equitable development. Explore the platform, uncover hidden disparities, and join us in shaping evidence-based solutions. Visit: https://community-explorer.co.za 
Contact us at explorerinfo@uct.ac.za should you wish to request a training session, or explore ways in which your data can help strengthen the platform!