New ‘living’ remote community grocery store directory shares essential data – and allows for user contributions

Researchers working across Australia’s remote food retail landscape – and those seeking to do so – now have access to essential data with the launch of a live and evolving ‘Remote Community Store Directory’ developed by the RE-FRESH team.

This web-based directory plots the location and provides further details on the remote food businesses operating throughout Australia – with a specific focus on stores that sell groceries in (principally) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in remote areas.

Users can access data specific to their needs via five filter functions, covering: location (remote/very remote/outer regional/unknown); entity type; management type; ORIC registration (Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations); and population.

The map has been designed as an interactive and ‘living’ resource, allowing anyone with internet access to add a location. People are invited to contribute by visiting www.rcsd.au/about, clicking the map and the ‘pindrop-+’ icon in the top right-hand corner.

This initial validated dataset is also available for download.

The Directory responds to the lack of data-driven info on the remote food supply in national statistics and may aid in the design of targeted, sustainable policy to enhance food equity for remote residents.

With more than one-third of remote stores owned by registered Indigenous corporations, the map can also be used by remote communities and their allies to describe their unique context.

Project lead Dr Luke Greenacre said the Remote Community Store Directory provided broad support for healthy food retail projects by providing an understanding of the context of the grocery store landscape serving the country’s remote communities.

“This Directory essentially removes a barrier for researchers and provides a starting point, acts as a visual support tool and communicates scale.

“We hope that by creating this system for tracking and updating data on remote stores, even more research in this area will be able to be conducted.

“As an ‘open access’ collaborative directory, the added bonus is that not only can the likes of travellers and caravanners contribute, but they can also access the map to help plan their journeys, so it’s a win-win opportunity.”