Data-Driven Policy Intelligence – Using the PoliRuralPlus Advisor to optimise Regional Action Plans
The PoliRuralPlus webinar series continued on 3 December 2025 with a session titled Data-Driven Policy Intelligence: Using the PoliRuralPlus Advisor Service to Optimise Regional Action Plans. Led by John O’Flaherty (MAC), the webinar explored how the PoliRuralPlus Advisor enables data-driven, evidence-based policymaking to support sustainable regional and rural-urban development.
The session opened with an introduction to the PoliRuralPlus Advisor, a generative AI-powered tool designed to help regional planners analyse, evaluate, and improve Regional Action Plans (RAPs). John provided a live demonstration of the Advisor’s core features, showing how it draws from the project’s extensive knowledge space — a repository of data, reports, and methodologies — to deliver relevant, evidence-based insights in response to user queries.
Using County Monaghan’s Regional Action Plan as a case study, the presentation showcased how the Advisor can identify strengths, weaknesses, and actionable improvements. Participants saw how the tool supports scenario modelling, allowing users to test the impacts of policy choices — for example, changes in local resource use or circular economy targets — and generate data visualizations to aid decision-making and communication.
The webinar also highlighted the integration of the Advisor with other PoliRuralPlus tools, such as JackDaw, Vulture, and the KPI and foresight frameworks, creating a connected ecosystem for policy intelligence and analysis.
A key theme throughout the session was the ethical and participatory use of AI in policy contexts. John discussed the project’s Participatory AI Principles, which ensure that AI serves as an assistant to human experts — not a replacement — and that all AI-supported analysis adheres to EU guidelines for transparency, accountability, and responsible innovation. Participants were reminded that critical human oversight remains central to the interpretation and application of AI-generated outputs.
The session concluded with an open discussion and a call to action for regional actors to adopt the PoliRuralPlus Advisor and related tools as part of their planning processes, strengthening collaboration, inclusivity, and data-informed policymaking across Europe.
👉 Stay tuned to our website and social media channels for upcoming webinars in the PoliRuralPlus Tools Series, including sessions on AI transformation and participatory innovation.