Innovative data projects receive £1.5 million funding
The competition winners will look at transforming services across the public and private sectors, and contribute to the #SmarterGov government campaign
The competition winners will look at transforming services across the public and private sectors, and contribute to the #SmarterGov government campaign
Ten innovative data schemes from across the UK have won government funding to look at new ways of using location-based data to help people in their everyday lives. This funding is a part of a government competition designed to find new ways to use data.
In November, the Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden, announced a £1.5 million competition to help organisations find innovative ways to use crowdsourcing and location-based data. The aim of the competition was to explore the benefits and challenges of using crowdsourced data while delivering public benefit through individual projects. It also aimed to showcase the importance of geospatial and innovative data for improving public services.
The Geospatial Competition was sponsored by the Geospatial Commission, an impartial, expert committee within the Cabinet Office, supported by £40 million of new funding in each of the next two years. It drives the move to use public and private sector geospatial data more productively. Research estimates that this could contribute up to £11 billion of extra value for the economy every year.
The competition had asked different organisations to work together to identify innovative ways for crowdsourced data, to either:
Through the competition, Geospatial Commission have tried to explore the growing market of connected online communities and the growth of smartphones. This has led to the rise of the smart cities agenda.
Oliver Dowden, said:” We are investing in location-based data technology to improve public services and the way people experience them. I’m delighted to see such innovative ideas come forward, which will help people in their everyday lives and keep the UK at the forefront of this exciting new technology.”
The possibilities for transformation are huge for the awarded innovative data projects. There will be new systems designed to highlight the safest roads for cyclists to use in busy cities. A database of all the UK’s trees will be created. An indoor mapping system to help people find their way around public buildings will be launched.
By using existing infrastructure, such as WiFi hotspot locations and smartphone sensors, one of the winners hope to create a sat-nav-style system for people to use as they walk around public buildings. Organisations would volunteer to have their buildings included on the system and the maps would be made available through existing phone apps.
Also receiving funding are projects that highlight mobile phone signal blackspots, help tackle travel problems experienced by disabled people, and boost public understanding of the planning system.
The projects will be worked on by organisations across the UK and see research carried out by University College London, the University of Warwick, the University of Exeter and the Open University.
The complete list of the winners is as follows: