Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ODI Response To UK Government Consultation On Industrial Strategy
ODI Response To UK Government Consultation On Industrial Strategy
governmentsindustrialstrategygreenpaper
ThisistheresponsefromtheOpenDataInstitute(ODI)totheUKgovernmentsindustrial
strategygreenpaperandaccompanyingconsultation.Thereisasummaryofthisresponse
attheendofthisdocument.WehavealsosubmittedajointresponsewiththeDigital
Catapult.
TheODIsresponseisfocussedondataandopenness.Weworktobuildastrong,fairand
sustainabledataeconomyinwhichdatagetstothepeoplewhoneedit.Webelievethat
opennessisavitalmechanismtocreateadataeconomythatworksforeveryone.
Generalquestions
1.Doesthisdocumentidentifytherightareasoffocus:extendingourstrengths;closingthe
gaps;andmakingtheUKoneofthemostcompetitiveplacestostartorgrowabusiness?
ThesearegoodareastofocusonbutthedocumentdoesnotidentifywhattheUKs
strengthsare-nationally,withindevolvednationsorlocally.Italsodoesnotprovidea
frameworkforthemtobeidentified.SuchaframeworkislikelytoincludetheUKscapacity
tocreatejobsandvalue,itscompetitiveadvantageascomparedtoothernations,andthe
timelinessoftheopportunity.Data,andparticularlyopendata,islikelytobeidentifiedas
oneoftheUKsstrengthsinsuchaframework.Itcancreatesignificantgrowthin
productivityandeconomicvalue.
WewilladdresstheUKscapacityandcompetitiveadvantageindatainlatersections.Itis
usefultoaddresstimelinessfirst.
Humansocietieschangewhenresourcesbecomeeitherplentifulorscarce.Theagrarian
revolutionsawfoodbecomeavailableatascaleandwithareliabilityneverseenbefore.
Theindustrialrevolutionsawmanufacturedgoodsbecomeavailableatlevelsandatcosts
notpreviouslyseen.Wearenowinthemidstofadatarevolution.Duetothegrowthofthe
webandinternetcoupledwiththedropinthepriceofsoftwareandhardware,datais
followingthesamepathasfoodandmanufacturedgoodsbeforeit.Asaresultdatahas
becomeanewformofinfrastructurethatunderpinseverysectoroftheeconomy.
DatashouldbeapriorityareaforinvestmenttoensurethattheUKispositionedtoboth
benefitfromtheopportunitiesandtacklethechallengesthatthisabundancewillpose.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
Tobuildasocietyinwhichwecanrealisethefullbenefitsofdata,wehavetoaddressthree
gaps:
2.Arethe10pillarssuggestedtherightonestotacklelowproductivityandunbalanced
growth?Ifnot,whichareasaremissing?
Wewouldencouragegovernmenttoconsideropennessasakeypillar.Acountrywhose
governmentandbusinessesareopentocollaboratingwitheachotherandwithother
countries,andwhichmakesitsresearch,dataandtechnologytoolsasopenaspossible
whilerespectingprivacy,willthriveinthecurrentinformationage.
3.Aretherightcentralgovernmentandlocalinstitutionsinplacetodeliveraneffective
industrialstrategy?Ifnot,howshouldtheybereformed?Arethetypesofmeasuresto
strengthenlocalinstitutionssetoutheretherightones?
Ourresponseisfocussedoninstitutionsinvolvedindatainnovation.Itcanbedifficultto
knowwhotheseareinstitutionsare,findouthowtocontactthemtogethelporto
understandhowtheyareperforming.
TogetherwiththeDigitalCatapultwehavedevelopedadirectoryofUKgovernment-funded
datainnovationorganisationsalongwiththeirlocationandtheservicestheyoffer.The
directoryincludestheUKportionoftheglobalnetworkofODINodes.Itdemonstratesthe
UKsstrengthinbreadthoforganisationsthatcanprovidesupportfordatainnovation.
Itisimportanttorecognisethatmanyinstitutionsalreadyexistandthatwhilesome
institutionsmightdeliverquickresultsothersmayneedtimetodeterminehowtocreate
impactanddeliverontheirmissions.Overlapsinremitsareinevitablebutcancause
friction;governmentcanhelpreducethisfrictionbyfacilitatingcoordinationand
recognisingthetensionbetweenindependenceandoversight.Institutionsneedto
demonstrateimpactandsecuresustainedandpredictablefunding,whetheritbefroma
singlefunderoramix,butalsotosharelearningswiththeirpeerssothatinstitutionscan
worktogethertocommongoals.
Thedirectorycanhelpdatainnovatorsfindorganisationstohelpthembut,togetherwith
informationonindustrysneeds,theinformationinthedirectorycanalsobeusedtohelp
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
centralgovernment,devolvedgovernmentandlocalgovernmentmakemoreinformed
decisionsaboutinstitutions.Weprovidemorethoughtsonthislaterinourresponse.
Wewouldrecommendthatgovernmentdevelopmechanismstoreportandopenlypublish
dataoneachorganisationsimpactalongwithdataonthestrengthsandopportunitiesfor
sectorsandlocalplaces.Thedatashouldbepublishedtoanopenstandardthatmeetsthe
needsofthedifferentusersofthedata.
4.Arethereimportantlessonswecanlearnfromtheindustrialpoliciesofothercountries
whicharenotreflectedinthese10pillars?
InvestmentinR&DintheUKhasbeenstaticataround1.8%ofGDPsincethe1990s.Itis
currently1.7%ofUKGDP,belowtheEuropeanUnions2%average.
Countriesandmultinationaltradeblocks,suchastheEU,areworkingonpolicyinitiatives
tosupporttherightsofindividualsandsocietieswhileencouraginginnovationbyimproving
dataprotectionregulationwhileallowingdatatoflowasfreelyaspossible.
Investmentindatainnovationcontinuestogrowinbothdevelopinganddeveloped
countriesaroundtheworld.In2016Chinabecamethefirstmiddle-incomecountrytojoin
theranksofthetop25most-innovativeeconomies,whiletheUKdroppedfromsecondto
thirdplace.Asianeconomies-Japan,China,KoreaandTaiwan-areinvestingsignificantly
inR&D.By2020,ChinaisexpectedtosurpasstheUnitedStatesastheworldslargestR&D
investor.
MultiplecountriesincludingSingaporeandEstoniahaveinvestedingovernmentdigital
transformationagencieswithastrongcommitmenttousingdataandworkingwiththe
publicsector.AustraliaismakingasignificantinvestmentinData61andworkingwithstate
governmentstoopenupitsmapandaddressdataforanyonetouse.Francehaslegislated
fordatainitsDigitalRepublicBill.Ukraineisusingdatatotacklecorruption.Finlandis
openingupenergynetworkdata.UntilrecentlytheUnitedStatesofAmericahadaChief
DataOfficerwhoworkedwithfederalgovernment,states,citiesandcommunitiesacross
thecountrytousedatatohelpsolvepeoplesproblems.
TheUKhaslongbeenaleaderindataingeneralandopendatainparticular.Thishas
contributedtogrowthinproductivityandeconomicvalue.TheBeanReviewrecognised
thatitiscurrentlyhardtomeasurethatcontribution.
UKgovernmentshouldrecognisethatothercountriesseethestrategicimportanceofdata
andareinvestingtocatchup.TheUKneedstoaccelerateifitistotakeadvantageofits
capacityandcompetitiveadvantageindata.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
Investinginscience,researchandinnovation
5.Whatshouldbethepriorityareasforscience,researchandinnovationinvestment?
AttheODI,wehavebeenshowingthebenefitsofadatainfrastructurethatisasopenas
possiblewhilerespectingprivacy.Itwillrequireinvestmenttohelplearnhowtorealise
thesebenefits.Governmentshouldprioritisescience,researchandinnovationinvestment
intodatainfrastructure.
Oneofthemorevisiblesectorswheredatasimportancecanbeseenisthedigital
economy.TechCityreportthattherearenow1.64milliondigitaltechjobsintheUK,and
thedigitalsectoriscreatingjobs2Xfasterthanthenondigitalsector.TheDigitalCatapult
reportthatin2014thedigitalsectorreached161billioninannualturnover.Ofthat161
billionturnover,dataandanalyticsbusinessesmadeup11.7%-secondonlytoappand
softwaredevelopment.Butdataanddigitalarenotjustvaluabletothedigitaleconomy.
Theybenefiteverysector.Iffullyharnessed,theDigitalCatapulthasreportedthatdataand
digitalcouldaddanadditional55billiontothewholeeconomyby2020.Elsewherethere
areestimatesthatbybuildingmoreopendatainfrastructurewillcontributeanywherefrom
anadditional0.4%to4.1%extratotheUKsGDP.Someofthisvalueisalreadybeingseen
intheservicesthatpeopleuseandthedecisionsthatgovernment,businesses,academics
andpeoplemakeeveryday.TheUKhaslongbeenaleaderinopeningupgovernment
data.ItistopoftheWebFoundationsopendatabarometerandsecond,behindTaiwan,in
theOpenKnowledgeFoundationsglobalopendataindex.Ithasstrengthindepthandisin
apositionofcompetitiveadvantagecomparedtoothercountries.
ButtorealisethefullvalueofitsinvestmentsinothersectorstheUKneedstotakemore
actionnowtomakedatainfrastructureasopenaspossible.Governmenthasarolein
incentivisingboththepublicandprivatesectorstoworktogethertostrengthendata
infrastructureacrossthewholeofourmixedeconomy.
Thereisanopportunitycostifgovernmentdoesnotstepin.Areportissuedbythe
TransportSystemCatapult,withsupportfromDeloitteandtheOpenDataInstitutesays
thatby2025theUKwilllose15bnofpotentialbenefitsifthegovernmentdoesnot
incentivisethetransportsectortosharedataandmakedatamoreopen.Andthisisjust
onesector.
Governmentshouldprioritisescience,researchandinnovationinvestmentindata
infrastructurewiththegoalofmakingdataasopenaspossiblewhilerespectingprivacy.
Thiswillincreaseproductivityandeconomicgrowthacrossthewholecountry.
Researchcomponentsmightincludethemessuchasmakingiteasierforanyonetopublish
opendata;newpolicy,regulatoryandservicedeliverymodelsthatusedata;makingit
easiertodevelopopenstandards;helpingbusinessesunderstandemergingdata
technology;waystodevelopdataliteracyacrosssociety;helpingbusinesses,particularly
SMEsandstartups,understandandengagewithinternationaldatapolicy;collaborative
maintenanceofdataassets;waystolinkandaggregatedata;modelsforpersonalcontrol
overandsharingofpersonaldatathroughopenAPIs;newtechniquesforprivacyand
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
anonymisation;bettermodelsforthehandlingofpersonaldata,particularlyintherun-upto
theadoptionofGDPR;andwaystostimulatemoreopendatapublicationbytheprivate
sector.
6.WhichchallengeareasshouldtheIndustrialChallengeStrategyFundfocusontodrive
maximumeconomicimpact?
Dataisanenablingpieceoftechnologythatwillhaveimportanceacrosseverysector.
Governmentshouldbesupportingresearchintodatainfrastructure,skills,openinnovation-
thebenefitsareclear-buttorealisethefullvalueofdataitalsoneedstobuildtrustby
supportingresearchintoequity,engagementandethics.Thesesixitemsarelikelytobe
cross-cuttingitemsthatarecommontoeverysector.
Dataandopennessshouldbewovenintoeachchallengetoensurethatworkondatais
orientedaroundimpact,tacklesissuesthatmayuniquetobeparticularsectorsandthatthe
resultsofthechallengearesharedasopenlyaspossibleunderanopenlicenceforresults,
sourcecodeandanynonpersonaldata.
Itisalsousefultobuildcommonapproachesacrosssectorsforeachofthesesixitems.
Thisrequiresspecificactivitythatmayappearinchallengesfromonesectorbutthatare
designedtobenefiteverysector.Lackofchallengesforthesecrosscuttingitemswilllead
tosiloedthinkingandwastedeffortrepeatedlysolvingthesameissues.
Twoimportantitemswithindatainfrastructurethatcurrentlylacksupport,havesignificant
economicimpactandcouldbeacandidatesforanearlychallengefromtheICSFaredata
discoveryandgeospatialdata.
Dataneedstobediscoverabletoreachitsfullpotential.Bothgovernmentandbusinesses
struggletofinddatawhentheyneedit.Supportingsearchenginesfordataandregistersof
datasharingagreementsbetweenpublic,privateandthirdsectororganisationswillmakeit
easierfordatainnovatorstodiscoverdatathattheycanusetobuildnewservices,find
insightsandmakeimpact.
Everythinghappenssomewhere.Geospatialdataisavitalcomponentofanynationsdata
infrastructure.Geospatialdataisessentialtovital,maturesectorssuchashousing,
agricultureandtransportaswellasmanynewtechnologiesandemergingsectors.Itcan
acceleratetheUKsuptakeofthosenewtechnologiesleadingtojobcreationand
productivitygrowth.UnfortunatelyothercountriesareleavingtheUKbehind:theOpen
Addressesinitiativeslist450mopenaddressdatapointsfromaroundtheworld,noneare
fromtheUK.The2013ShakespeareReviewrecommendationthatallrawgeospatialdata
heldbytheOrdnanceSurveyshouldpublishedasopendatawasnotimplemented.Since
2013thegeospatialsectorhasfacedmoredisruptionwithnewsourcesofsatelliteand
LiDARdataandthecontinuedgrowthofcollaborativemaintenancemodelssuchas
OpenStreetMapfedbydatavolunteeredfromindividualsandlargemultinationals.Soonwe
willseenewgeospatialdatasourcedfromdrones,driverlesscarsandothersensorsand
devices.Thesechangeschallengethebusinessmodelofgovernmenttradingfunds,
particularlytheOrdnanceSurvey;theusefulnessofthepublicsectormappingagreement
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
forEnglandandWaleswhichisduetoberenegotiatedin2018;andrisksUKgovernment
losinginfluenceoverUKgeospatialdatainfrastructure.
TheShakespeareReviewsrecommendationisstillvalidbutgiventhechangesgovernment
nowneedstogofurther.Governmentshouldrunchallengesandcommissionandpublish
researchfromoutsideofthepublicsectortohelpitunderstandthefutureofgeospatial
dataandwhatactionsitcantaketomeetthegoalofbuildingandmaintainingopen
geospatialdatainfrastructurethatbenefitseveryone.
7.WhatelsecantheUKdotocreateanenvironmentthatsupportsthecommercialisationof
ideas?
Theriseoftheinternet,webanddatahasledtoachangeinbusinessandorganisational
models.TheUKhasbeenaleaderinthisinnovation.Somemodelsthatworkedinthepast
arefailing,newmodelsareemergingandwillcontinuetoemerge.Government,andthe
innovationorganisationsitfunds,shoulddocumentandpropagatethesenewmodels.
Meanwhilemanypublicsectororganisationsarestrugglingtoadapttothechanged
environmentwhiledeliveringvitalpublicservicesthatarenecessaryfortheprivatesectorto
grow.Torealisebenefitsinthewidereconomytheindustrialstrategyneedstobealigned
withothergovernmentstrategies,suchasthedigitalstrategyandtransformationstrategy,
andsupportpublicsectororganisationstomodernisepublicserviceswhileworkingin
collaborationwiththeprivatesector.
Inaddition,whilerecognisingthepotentialofdata,asasocietywehavenotyetadapted
ournorms,expectationsandgovernancetothewayinwhichdatacanandisbeingused.
Thereisatrustdeficitinthehandlingofdatathatcouldundermineitseffectiveuseand
reducethebenefitsreceived,includinglimitingtheextenttowhichbusinessescanbebuilt
arounddata.
Wefacegapsinthreeareasthatneedtobeaddressedtobuildtrust:
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
Byaddressingtheseareastobuildtrustwhiletakingactiontoopenupdatainfrastructure
theUKcanseizetheopportunitytobeaworldleaderindataanditsusebyboth
commercialandpublicsectororganisations.
Onecomponentofthisisethics.InApril2016theGovernmentendorsedarecommendation
oftheScience&TechnologyCommitteeintheirreport,BigDataDilemmaproposingthata
NationalDataEthicsBoardbeestablished.
Creatingcleargovernanceprocessesfordatauseispartofbuildingarobustdata
infrastructurefortheUK.MembershipofthisBoardanditsgovernancearrangements
shouldbefinalisedandpromotedtogovernment,businessesandthepublic.Decisionsand
advicefromtheNationalDataEthicsBoardshouldbesharedopenly.
8.Howcanwebestsupportthenextgenerationofresearchleadersandentrepreneurs?
Werecommendsupportingthegrowthofpeernetworksasawayofspreadingpractitioner
knowledgeandpromotingopeninnovation.Werecentlypublishedapaperwithlearnings
fromaninternationalnetworkofopendataleaders.Governmentshouldsupportexisting
networksofwheretherearegapsprovidefundingtohelpcreateandstrengthenpeer
networksforparticulartopicsorsectorsbyprovidingfundingforaninitialperiodto
conveneactors,documentandsharelessonsofwhatworksandwhatdoesnt.Successful
peernetworksfortheprivatesectorarelikelytobecomeself-sustainingafteraninitial
periodduetofinancialcontributionsfromparticipatingorganisations.
9.Howcanwebestsupportresearchandinnovationstrengthsinlocalareas?
Weagreewiththeindustrialstrategyinitsemphasisonbuildinglocalrelationshipsand
understandinglocalcontext.Itisimportanttorecognisethatdifferentareashavedifferent
priorities,strengthsandopportunities.Themodelsofsupportanddegreeofpublic
investmentarelikelytobedifferentindifferentnations,regionsandlocalities.Itis
necessarytounderstandthesetobringgrowthinproductivityandeconomicvalueacross
thewholecountry.
AttheOpenDataInstituteweworkwithapeernetworkofODINodesacrosstheworld.
ThisincludesnodesinallfourUKnationsandmanyUKcity-regions.Eachofthenodes
helplocalandregionalgovernment,businesses,communitygroups,academiaand
innovatorsandprovideaneutralspacetoconvenedifferentgroupstosolvedata-related
problemsandgrowastrong,fairandsustainabledataeconomyintheirlocality.
Thenodeshaveallemergedfromandareembeddedinthelocalcontext.Thenodesare
openaboutwhattheydo,sharewhattheylearnandthetoolsandtechniquestheydevelop,
andworktogetherwithpartnerswithinandbeyondthenodenetwork.TheODINode
networkisfocussedondevelopingdatainfrastructureandgettingdatatopeopleintheir
localities.
GovernmentshouldfundlocalorganisationssuchastheODINodesandjointogetherother
networkswithsimilarmodelstodriveoutcomesonothercross-cuttingissues.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
Developingskills
10.Whatmorecanwedotoimprovebasicskills?Howcanwemakeasuccessofthenew
transitionyear?Shouldwechangethewaythatthoseresittingbasicqualificationsstudy,to
focusmoreonbasicskillsexcellence?
Weagreewiththeindustrialstrategysstatementthatthereisneedtodevelopbasicskills
tohelpeveryoneplayanactivepartinsociety.AstherecentLloydsBankUKConsumer
DigitalIndex2017found,over11millionUKadultslackbasicdigitalskills.Acombinationof
bettertrainingandbetterdesignedserviceswillbeneededtodevelopbasicskillsand
literacyacrossthepopulation.Thelackofthesecompetenciescanreducethenumberof
peoplewhoengageinsocietaldebatesaboutdata.itcandecreasethenumberofpeople
whotrustanduseonlineservicesanddata.Thislimitsthevaluecreatedbythedigital
economyanduptakeofgovernmentservices.
Basicdataskillsincludecompetenciessuchashowtomakedecisionsonwhentoshare
personaldataandwhatyouagreetowhenyouaccepttermsandconditions;howtofind
andusedataaboutalocalarea,councilorservice;ortheimportanceofnationalstatistics
andtheimpendingcensusin2021.Thesegapsriskbecomingmoreimportantasour
societiesmoveincreasinglyonlineandasmoresectorsopenuptheirdata,forexamplethe
openbankinginitiativethatwillallowbankcustomerstochoosetosharedatafromtheir
bankaccountwiththirdparties.Basicskillsframeworksneedtoberegularlyupdatedto
caterfortheever-changingusesofdata.
Thebasicskillsframeworkcouldbeexpandedtoincludemoredatacompetencies.Other
competenciesmaybebettercapturedbytheconceptofdataliteracy.
Literacycanbehardtodefine.TheScottishExecutivedefinesEnglishlanguageliteracyas
Theabilitytoread,writeandusenumeracy,tohandleinformation,toexpressideasand
opinions,tomakedecisionsandsolveproblems,asfamilymembers,workers,citizensand
lifelonglearners.Wehavedefineddataliteracyas:theabilitytounderstanddata,howyou
caninteractwithitandwhatimpactitcanhave.
Everyoneshouldbedataliterateintheirdailylives,toalevelwheretheycangetajobor
makeaninformeddecisionaboutwhotheysharetheirdatawith.Peopleshouldbe
sufficientlydataliteratethattheycanreachtheirpotential.
Governmentshouldincludebasicdataliteracyandbasicdataskillsinprimaryeducation,
secondaryeducation,furthereducationanddigitalinclusionactivities.Governmentshould
encouragebusinessestoprovidebasicdataliteracyandbasicdataskillsinprofessional
developmentprogrammesboththroughon-the-joblearningandmoreformaltraining
models.
Acomplementaryapproachtobasicdataskillsandliteracyistoreducethelevelofskill
requiredforaparticulartask.UKgovernmenthassupportedthedevelopmentofdesign
patternsfordigitalservicesthroughitsGovernmentDigitalServices.Governmentshould
assistindustrybysupportingthedevelopmentofbetterdesignpatternsforservicesthat
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
eitherreducethelevelofdataskillsrequiredtousetheserviceorthattaketheopportunity
ofateachablemomenttoprovideauseranewdataskill.
11.Doyouagreewiththedifferentelementsofthevisionforthenewtechnicaleducation
systemsetouthere?Aretherefurtherlessonswecanlearnfromothercountriessystems?
Noresponse.
12.Howcanwemaketheapplicationprocessforfurthereducationcollegesand
apprenticeshipsclearerandsimpler,drawinglessonsfromthehighereducationsector?
Noresponse.
13.Whatskillsshortagesdowehaveorexpecttohave,inparticularsectorsorlocalareas,
andhowcanwelinktheskillsneedsofindustrytoskillsprovisionbyeducationalinstitutions
inlocalareas?
First,abovethelevelofbasicskillswebelievethatthereisnoonesizefitsallapproachto
digitalordataskills.Differentprojectsrequiredifferentskills;theskillsmaybespread
amongstseveralmembersofanorganisationorteamwithinanorganisation;different
sectorsororganisationsmayallocatethemtodifferentrolesthatfitinwiththeirneedsand
typicalorganisationalmodels.
Skillsframeworksareausefulwaytoallowforthisvariationandtoalloweducational
institutionsandsectorstodescribeskillsusingacommonlanguage.Forexample,theOpen
DataInstitutesopendataskillsframeworkshowsthedifferentsoftandhardskillsto
maximiseuseandimpactofopendata;andisaccompaniedbyarangeofguides,online
andface-facetrainingtoprovidetheskillsinwaysthatmeettheneedsofdifferent
audiences.
Wehavefoundshortagesineachoftheseskillareasacrossdifferentorganisations,places
andsectors.
Similarregularlyupdatedframeworksandmixeddeliverymodelsencompassingtherange
ofdigitalanddataskillsshouldbeavailabletosupportthedevelopmentanddissemination
oftraininginyouth,adultandprofessionaleducation,oratapointofneedduringservice
delivery.Governmentshouldensurethatsuchframeworksandtrainingmaterialsexistso
thattheycanbeprovidedwhereneededtoprovideskillsandtackleshortages.
Second,thereisashortageofgooddataonthesupplyofanddemandfordataskills
acrossthecountry.Thisimpactsdecisionmakingbyeducationalinstitutions,employers,
policymakersandstudents.The2016Shadboltreviewofcomputersciencedegree
accreditationandgraduateemployabilityhighlightedtheseissuesandrecommendedways
toaddress.Wesupporttherecommendationsofthereview.
Third,wewouldobservethatnotallskillsshortageswillbesolvedbylocalskillsprovision.
Dataanddigitalhaveaninternationalscope.Toscale,businessesneedtounderstand
differentsocietalnormsandcomplywithlegislationfrommultiplecountries.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
Digitalanddatabusinessesneedtobecreatedbyadiversegroupwhounderstandthe
differentcontextsinwhichtheyareused.FortheUKtechindustrytogrow,weneedthat
diversitytobelocatedhere.TechUKhavewarnedofatalentcliffedgeastheUKexitsthe
EU.ThegovernmentsindustrialstrategyshouldensurethattheUKcontinuestobea
welcomingplaceformigrantsinthetechindustryandhasgoodrelationshipswithother
countriestoallowpeople,andknowledge,tomovebackandforth.Ifthisdoesnothappen
thenthereisariskthattheUKlosestheopportunitytobuildthenecessaryscalefordigital
asbusinesseslocatedintheUKareunabletounderstandinternationalusersandthe
internationalmarket.
14.Howcanweenableandencouragepeopletoretrainandupskillthroughouttheir
workinglives,particularlyinplaceswhereindustriesarechangingordeclining?Arethere
particularsectorswherethiscouldbeappropriate?
Dataskillsarebecomingmoreessentialacrossallsectors.Peoplewhoaredataliteratewill
bemoresuccessfulintheirsector.Thereisaneedforbothcommondataliteracyandskills
andspecialisedsectorbasedtraining.Thisdoesnotmeanthateveryoneshouldbeadata
scientist;itdoesmeansthatbeingabletounderstandboththepotentialandlimitationsof
dataisimportanteverywhere.Government,businessesandeducationalestablishments
shouldhelpexplainthisandencouragepeopletogaindataliteracyandskillswhile
providingmultipleroutesforthistohappen.
Inadditiontoeducationalestablishmentsandinternalbusinesstrainingprogrammes,online
platforms,suchastheODIselearning,canprovideanaccesspointintoretrainingand
upskilling.Peernetworks,fellowshipprogrammesandsecondmentsprovideanother.Inall
caseswewouldobservethatpeoplelearnbestwhentheyaresolvingproblemsthatare
meaningfultothem.Thiscouldbeaworkproblem;oritcouldbefortheircommunity,family
orforpersonalinterest.Theincreasingprovisionoflocallyrelevantopendata,toolingand
how-toguidesshowingpeoplehowtocombinethemtosolveproblemsprovidesan
excellentwaytohelppeopleonthepathtolearningnewskills.
Upgradinginfrastructure
15.Aretherefurtheractionswecouldtaketosupportprivateinvestmentininfrastructure?
WehaveprovidedinputtotheNationalInfrastructureCommissionontheimportanceof
datainfrastructuretotraditionalphysicalinfrastructure.Datainfrastructurecanhelpbuild
andmaintainphysicalinfrastructureandhelpcreatemorevaluefromitwhenitis
operational.
Datainfrastructurewillhelpbuildotherformsofnationalinfrastructuremoreefficientlyand
effectively.Forexample,creatinganenvironmentwhereorganisationssharetheirdata
aboutthelocationofundergroundservices-suchastelecoms,gasandelectricity-can
speedupconstructionactivitiesandreducetheimpactoncitizens.Opendemographic,
geospatialandenvironmentaldatacanhelpplannersidentifymoreaccuratelywhere
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
10
infrastructureisandwillbeneeded.Buildinginarobustdatainfrastructuretosupport
physicalinfrastructurebycollectingandsharingsensordatawillhelpmaintainthatphysical
infrastructure.
Someofthedatainfrastructureaboutphysicalinfrastructurecanbecollaboratively
maintained.Thisreducesthecostburdenonbusinessesmaintainingtheirowndata
infrastructure.Collaborativemaintenancemodelssuchasthoseusedbylegislation.gov.uk,
theBritishGeologicalSocietysboreholescansandOpenStreetMaphavedemonstratedthe
benefits,provedthattheprivateandpublicsectorcanmaintaindatatogether,andprovide
patternsthatcanbebuilton.
Meanwhile,byopeningupdataaboutphysicalinfrastructurewecanincreasethevalueit
createswhenoperational.ThebestdocumentedexampleisLondonspublictransport
whereTfLincreasedtheimpactofitsinvestmentintransportinfrastructureandgenerated
exportopportunitiesfortheUKsdigitalbusinesses.Thisdecisionhadarelativelylowcost
andcreatedbenefitsmuchfasterthanmoretraditionalformsofphysicalinfrastructure.The
decisiontoopenupTfLsdatawastakenin2009;significantservicesbenefitswerealready
beingreceivedbyconsumersin2013whenTfLreportedareturnoninvestmentof58:1.
MuchofthisvaluedoesnotreturntoTfL:itreturnstotheTreasuryduetoothereconomic
activity.Similaractivityishappeningacrossthecountrytogetmorevaluefromphysical
infrastructureinothersectorssuchaswater,roadandcyclinginfrastructure.
Governmentshouldencouragephysicalinfrastructureproviderstoinvestinbuildingopen
datainfrastructurethatcreatesbenefitsbothforthemandwidersociety.Government
shouldrecogniseboththepublicationandmaintenanceofdataasprivatesector
contributionstothisinfrastructure.Companieswhoopenlylicensesoftwareanddatasets
withsignificantpotentialpublicbenefitshouldbeeligiblefortaxrelief.Thekindsoftaxrelief
availabletocompaniescouldbemodelledoncostsrecoverableundertheexistingR&DTax
ReliefScheme.
16.HowcanlocalinfrastructureneedsbeincorporatedwithinnationalUKinfrastructure
policymosteffectively?
Localdatainfrastructureisasimportantasnationalandglobaldatainfrastructure.Open
standardsareanessentialcomponenttomaketheminteroperableandenableproducts
andservicesthataredevelopedinoneareatobeusedelsewhere,enablingbusinessesto
scale.Governmentshouldcoordinatethesestandardisationefforts.
Byworkingwithlocalinnovationorganisations,suchastheODINodes,thatengagethefull
rangeoflocalstakeholders,nationaldatapolicymakerswillbebestplacedtounderstand
theneedsofusersoflocaldatainfrastructure.
17.Whatfurtheractionscanwetaketoimprovetheperformanceofinfrastructuretowards
internationalbenchmarks?Howcangovernmentworkwithindustrytoensurewehavethe
skillsandsupplychainneededtodeliverstrategicinfrastructureintheUK?
Othergovernmentsandtradingblocksaremakingchangestodataregulation.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
11
TheUKgovernmenthassaidthatitwillimplementtheEUgeneraldataprotection
regulation.Itshouldsupportbusinesstoadoptthisregulationandleadthewayinproviding
innovativeservicesthatarecompliantandinnovateusingnovelprovisionssuchasdata
portability.Governmentcandosobyprovidingguidance,designpatternsandusingthe
challengefundtosupportR&Dintoareassuchasdataportability.
UponleavingtheEUthegovernmentalsohastheopportunitytorevisitregulationsuchas
INSPIRE,reuseofpublicsectorinformationanddatabaserights.Itisnotclearwhether
theseregulationsareservingtheirintendedpurpose.Ineachcasegovernmentshould
considertheoriginalobjectivesfortheregulationandwhetherthatobjectiveisstillrelevant
inlightofwhatwenowknowabouthowtogetthebestvalueofdata(forexamplethat
opennessincreasesthenumberofconnectionsthatcanbemadewithdata)before
proposinghowtoimplementtheregulationinUKlegislation.
Finally,TechUKhavereportedthatthreequartersofUKbusinessesdataflowsaretoand
fromtheEU.AdataadequacyagreementwiththeEUshouldformpartoftheBrexit
negotiationstrategyandneedstobeachievedbeforetheUKleavestheEuropeanUnionto
ensurethatbusinesseshavearobustlegalbasisonwhichtotransferpersonaldata
betweentheUKandtheEUfromthedaythattheUKleavestheEU.
Supportingbusinessestostartandgrow
18.WhatarethemostimportantcausesoflowerratesoffixedcapitalinvestmentintheUK
comparedtoothercountries,andhowcanthisbeaddressed?
Noresponse.
19.Whatarethemostimportantfactorswhichconstrainquotedcompaniesandfund
managersfrommakinglongerterminvestmentdecisions,andhowcanwebestaddress
thesefactors?
Noresponse.
20.Givenpublicsectorinvestmentalreadyaccountsforalargeshareofequitydealsin
someregions,howcanwebestcatalyseuptakeofequitycapitaloutsidetheSouthEast?
Noresponse.
21.Howcanwedrivetheadoptionofnewfundingopportunitieslikecrowdfundingacross
thecountry?
Noresponse.
22.Whatarethebarriersfacedbythosebusinessesthathavethepotentialtoscale-upand
achievegreatergrowth,andhowcanweaddressthesebarriers?Wherearethere
outstandingexamplesofbusinessnetworksforfastgrowingfirmswhichwecouldlearn
fromorspread?
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
12
Aswellasbarrierscommontootherbusinesses,datainnovatorsfacesomebarriersunique
todata.Whenavailabledatasets,datastandards,legislativeframeworksandgovernance
modelsdifferbetweengeographiesthenbusinesseswillstruggletoscale.
Bymakingdatainfrastructurethatisasopenaspossiblewhilerespectingprivacyacross
bothpublicandprivatesectors;bybuildinginteroperabledatainfrastructureacrosstheUK;
bylegislatingtoprovideguaranteesofsustainableflowofdataforvitaldatasets;andby
participatinginandgrowingmoreinitiativesliketheEuropeanUnionfreeflowofdataand
theUK-FrancedatataskforcegovernmentcanhelptacklethesebarriersandmaketheUK
aleadingplacefordatabusinessestostartandscale.
Improvingprocurement
23.Aretherefurtherstepsthatthegovernmentcantaketosupportinnovationthrough
publicprocurement?
Governmenthassignificantspendingpowerwhichitcanusetocreatemoreopendata
infrastructureacrosstheUK.
Governmentshouldembedopendataprovisionintopublicprocurementincontracts,calls
fortendersandevaluationofbidsforallpublicservices.Thisshouldapplytoalllevelsof
governmentincludingdevolvedadministrations,localgovernmentandgovernment-owned
organisationssuchastheNHSortradingfunds.Francehaslegislatedforthismodelacross
allpublicservicesinthe2016DigitalRepublicBill.
Thedesiredoutcomeisthatallservicesthatgovernmentsbuysfromtheprivateorthird
sectoruseasmuchopendataaspossible,publishasmuchopendataaspossibleandare
subjecttothesamepublicinformationregulationsasthepublicsector.Thisisaproven
modelbywhichgovernmentcanprovideaplatformonwhichotherscanbothinnovateand
providebetterservicestocitizens.Governmentislegislatingforopendataprovisionofbus
dataacrossthecountry.Thecostandtimethatthisistakingwouldhavebeenavoidedif
opendatawasembeddedacrossallpublicprocurementandpublicservices.
Governmentshouldencourageandusemoreopenstandardsbetweentechnology
componentsacrossalllayersofgovernment.Openstandardsareanimportantpolicy
patternthatcandisruptmarketsandencouragenewprovidersthatcouldprovidecheaper,
betterandmoreinnovativeservices.
24.Whatfurtherstepscanbetakentousepublicprocurementtodrivetheindustrial
strategyinareaswheregovernmentisthemainclient,suchashealthcareanddefence?Do
wehavetherightinstitutionsandpoliciesinplaceinthesesectorstoexploitgovernments
purchasingpowertodriveeconomicgrowth?
Noresponse.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
13
Encouragingtradeandinwardinvestment
25.Whatcanthegovernmentdotoimproveoursupportforfirmswantingtostart
exporting?Whatcanthegovernmentdotoimprovesupportforfirmsinincreasingtheir
exports?
Wehavefocussedthissectionofourresponseontheuniqueproblemsfacingdata
businesses.Wewouldnotethatdatabusinesseswhichexportwillalsofacechallengesthat
arecommontoboththedigitalsectorandthesectorinwhichtheysellservices.
First,databusinessesthatwanttoexportwillneedarobustlegalframeworkinplacefor
cross-bordertransfersofpersonaldata.AsTechUKhaveobservedtheUKcurrently
accountsfor11.5%ofglobalcross-borderdataflowsandofthesearewithotherEU
countries.TheUKiscurrentlyreliantontheEUslegalframeworkforcross-borderdata
flowsbothwiththeEUandothernations.TheUKshouldbeclearthatduringtheprocessof
exitingtheEUthatitwillnegotiateanewdataadequacydealwiththeEUandothernations
andensurethatnon-EUcross-borderdataflowsareunaffectedduringthetransitionperiod.
Second,governmentshouldprototypewaysfortheUKtobuildonexistinginternational
relationshipssuchastheUKFrancedatainnovationtaskforceortheD5groupofnations
thathaveacommonapproachtopublicsectorreform.
Third,UKbusinessesneedtounderstandandengagewithinternationaldevelopmentsin
datapolicyandpracticethatofferopportunitiesforUKbusinesses.Governmentshould
explorehowitcansupportthisneedforexamplebyassistinginitiativestomakedatapolicy
moreaccessibleorprovidingguidanceforimplementation.
Fourth,governmentcancreateexportopportunitiesbytakingaleadinopeningupdataand
supportingthedevelopmentofopenstandardsinmoresectors.TheUKtookanearlylead
inopeninguptransportdataleadingtothecreationofmultiplestartupswhichexport
aroundtheworld.TheUKsopenbankingstandardcoupledwithitsstrongfinancial
servicesandfintechsectorscreatesanopportunitytotakealeadinretailbanking.By
makingdatapartofitssectordealsgovernmentcancreatesimilaropportunitiesforother
sectors.
26.Whatcanwelearnfromothercountriestoimproveoursupportforinwardinvestment
andhowwemeasureitssuccess?Shouldweputmoreemphasisonmeasuringtheimpact
ofForeignDirectInvestment(FDI)ongrowth?
Noresponse.
Deliveringaffordableenergyandcleangrowth
27.Whatarethemostimportantstepsthegovernmentshouldtaketolimitenergycosts
overthelong-term?
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
14
TheGovernmentwillinvestlargeamountsinthephysicalinfrastructureoftheenergysector
overthecomingdecadestosupportatransitiontoalow-carbonenergysystem.Itshould
alsoinvestinstrengtheningthesectorsdatainfrastructure.Thiswillhelptolimitenergy
costsbyincreasingcompetitionandinnovationandhelpingthesectortosecurethe
benefitsofnewtechnologies.
TheIndustrialStrategymadesecuringtheopportunitiesofenergyinnovationfortheUK
economyatoppriority,doublingfinancialsupportforitandsettingouttopromotenew
disruptivebusinessmodelsthatchallengeinefficientpractice.
Currentlylackofaccesstodataisabarriertoentryfornewcompaniesintheenergysector.
Dataintheenergysector-fromsmartmeterdatatonetworkdatatocommercialdata-is
mostlysiloedanddifficultfornewcompaniestoaccess.Thisreducescompetitionandthe
potentialforinnovationindifferentpartsoftheenergymarket.Thisisacommonproblem
forenergysectorsaroundtheworldastheyevolvefromsiloedindustrialsystems.Other
countriessuchastheUSA,France,Finland,Spainandrecognisethechallengeandare
choosingtoopenupenergydata.TheUKneedstomovefastifitistotakeadvantageof
theopportunitiesthissectorprovides.
Increasingaccesstodatawillallow:
newservicestobebuilt,forexampletohelpconsumersmanageusage,switch
provider,oridentifysuitableproducts.Morebroadly,increasingaccessto
aggregatedstatistics(generalmarketinsights)couldhelpnewentrantsidentify
areasforinnovation.Theseinnovationswillhelpcreatecompetitioninthesector
andlowercostsforconsumers.
thenetworktobemanagedmoreefficiently.NationalGridannouncedthatitis
workingwiththetechnologycompanyDeepMindtobetterpredictdemandand
supplyofelectricity. AIandmachinelearningrequireaccesstolargeamountsof
datatobemadeavailable.InFinland,thenationalelectricitygridoperatoris
providingopenAPIsforthirdpartiestoaccessarangeofdatatoincrease
optimisation.Asenergysystemsbecomemoredecentralisedwiththeintegrationof
morerenewablesandstorage,datawillneedtomovemoreseamlessly.
28.Howcanwemovetowardsapositioninwhichenergyissuppliedbycompetitive
marketswithouttherequirementforon-goingsubsidy?
ThereisalackofcompetitionacrosstheUKenergysector,whichtheCompetitionand
MarketsAuthorityisimplementinganumberofremediesfor.
Onereasonsforthisisthatitisdifficultfornewcompaniestoenteranalreadyhighly
regulatedmarketwithlimitedaccesstoinformation-forinstanceaboutconsumers,supply
anddemandorthenetwork.
TheGovernmentcreatedtheMidatainitiativetogivecustomersaccesstopersonaland
transactiondataandprovideanAPIfortransferringcustomersdata(withtheirconsent)to
thirdparties,tomakeswitchingeasier.Inthefirstphasesevenlargesuppliersvoluntarily
enabledtheircustomerstodownloadtheirdatatoaspreadsheet.Howeversincesuppliers
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
15
didnotimplementtheprogrammefully,theGovernmentlaunchedaconsultationin
December2016toimplementMidataonamandatorybasiswithaspecifiedsetoffields.
WhiletheGovernmentsfocusonincreasingaccessiswelcome,thisapproachrisks
needinggovernmentactioneachtimethespecificationneedstochange.
Thebankingsectorprovidesausefulcomparisonwhereindustry,withsupportfromthe
OpenDataInstitute,recommendedanapproachcalledopenbankingwhichwouldcreate
opendataandopenAPIsgovernedbyabodyindependentofgovernment.Thisgroup
wouldcontinuouslyiteratethestandardstomeettheneedsofallstakeholdersinthesector
includingconsumers,newentrantsandincumbents;encourageinnovativeusersofthe
standard;andensurethatthemarketandconsumersunderstoodthechanges.Asimilar
approachshouldbeusedwithintheenergysector.
TheGovernmentshouldensurethatittakesthisapproachacrosstheenergymarket-
increasingaccesstodatainawaythatpromotescompetitionasmuchaspossiblewhilst
protectingprivacyandsecurity.WhentheDataCommunicationsCompanyislaunchedlater
thisyeartobethepointofaccesstodataforthesmartmeterrolloutitneedstomeetthis
test(currentlyitisnotclearthatitwill).Othercountriesareleadingthewayinlookingfor
innovativewaystomanagethenetworkbyopeningupaccesstonetworkdata.
29.Howcangovernment,businessandresearchersworktogethertodevelopthe
competitiveopportunitiesfrominnovationinenergyandourexistingindustrialstrengths?
TheUKhasalwaysbeenattheforefrontofenergyinnovation.Inordertoremainso,it
needstorecognisetheopportunitiesthattechnologyandtheincreasingabundanceofdata
arecreating.Theleadingenergysystemsofthefuturewillbetheonesthatrapidlyintegrate
renewables,micro-generationandstorageandadaptfasttonewtechnologiessuchas
ElectricHeatandElectricVehicles.Theywilluseartificialintelligenceandmachinelearning
tooptimisesupplyanddemand.Allofthisrequiresdatatoflowdifferentlytohowitdoesin
todayssystem.
Togetthere,werecommendtheGovernmentworkingwithstakeholdersto:
createabody,orgiveauthoritytoanexistingbody,forthesectortorepresentall
stakeholdersandworktomakedataasopenaspossiblewhilerespectingprivacy
identifyandexplorekeychallengesinsupportingthetransitiontoalow-carbon
systemwhereaccesstodataisabarrier
identifywhichtypesofdataareapriorityforincreasingaccess
drawattentiontohowcompaniescanbenefitfromincreasedaccesstodataand
moreopenbusinessmodels
highlightareaswherecreationofnewstandards,oradoptionofexistingstandards,
mighthelptheenergysector
createsector-specificguidanceanddesignpatternsforaccess,useandsharingof
data
assistinincreasingdataskillsandliteracyofenergysectorstakeholdersincluding
consumers,newentrantsandincumbents
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
16
30.Howcangovernmentsupportbusinessesinrealisingcostsavingsthroughgreater
resourceandenergyefficiency?
Noanswer
Cultivatingworld-leadingsectors
31.Howcanthegovernmentandindustryhelpsectorscometogethertoidentifythe
opportunitiesforasectordealtoaddress-especiallywhereindustriesarefragmentedor
notwelldefined?
Sectordealsshouldbeperformedasopenlyaspossiblesothatitiseasyforall
stakeholderstounderstandandparticipateinthework.Governmentshouldensurethatall
stakeholdergroupswithinasectorarerepresentedinasectordeal.Typicallythiswould
includelargebusinesses,SMEs,startups,regulators,policymakers,academiaandcivil
society.
32.Howcanthegovernmentensurethatsectordealspromotecompetitionand
incorporatetheinterestsofnewentrants?
Data,proprietarystandardsandlackofmarketintelligenceareoftenabarriertoentryin
newsectors.Initiativeslikeopenbankingshowthatgovernmentrecognisesthatopendata
andopenstandardscanbreakopensectorstonewentrants.Sectordealssupportedby
governmentaspartoftheindustrialstrategyshouldincludeacommitmentfromindustryto
deliversimilarinitiativesineachsector.Theseinitiativesshouldrunintheopenand
encourageinputfromallstakeholderswithinasector.
33.Howcanthegovernmentandindustrycollaboratetoenablegrowthinnewsectorsof
thefuturethatemergearoundnewtechnologiesandnewbusinessmodels?
Effectiveuseandaccesstodataislikelytobeakeypartofensuringgrowthinanynew
sector.Investinginbuildingdatainfrastructurethatisasopenpossibleisagoodwayfor
governmenttosupportemergingareasandcreatestrong,fair,sustainablemarketswhich
areopentonewentrants,newtechnologiesandnewbusinessmodels.
AsweobserveinourjointresponsewiththeDigitalCatapult,Artificialintelligence(AI),or
machinelearning(ML),isanareawherecompetitionandnewentrantswillclearlybenefit
fromstrongerandmoreopendatainfrastructure.
AIinnovationisdrivenbyacombinationofnewtechnologyalgorithmsandthereduced
cost;alongwiththeincreasedavailabilityofsoftware,computerhardware(particularlyin
thecloud)anddata.InMarch2017Governmentannounced17.3mingrantstosupport
thedevelopmentofnewroboticsandartificialintelligencetechnologiesinuniversities
includingareviewledbyWendyHallandJrmePesentitoidentifythecriticalelementsfor
theexcitingtechnologytothriveandgrowintheUK.DigitalCatapultandtheOpenData
Institutearebothengagingwiththisreview.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
17
ItisclearthataccesstodatatotrainnewAIserviceswillbeamajorfactoringrowinganAI
sectorintheUK.DigitalCatapultandtheOpenDataInstitutebelievethatcreatingalevel
playingfieldforsmallmediumenterprises(SMEs)intermsofaccesstodataiskeyto
creatingafairandequitableAImarket.
WewouldencouragegovernmentandthereviewtoengagewiththeAIcommunityto
determineusefulareasforservicedevelopment;identifywhereaccesstopubliclyor
privatelyhelddatasetscanhelptocreateafairandequitableAImarketandprovide
incentivestohelporganisationspublishthedata.Thedatamightbepublishedopenlyso
thatanyonecanuseitorsharedundercontrolledconditionstomanagecommercialand
privacyrisks.
Meanwhile,theriseofdeeplearningalgorithmsalsoincreasesabarrierforSMEs
developingadvancedmachinelearningalgorithms:costofcomputationpower.While
availableoncloudservices,thecurrentpricingisfrequentlytoohighforearlystage
companies.DigitalCatapultisexploringinterventionsinthisarea,possiblybyconnectingAI
SMEswithSMEsbuildinginnovativehardwareandsoftwarearchitectures.Government
couldhelpbysupportingcloudcomputingforAIalgorithmdevelopmentandincentivising
highperformancecomputing(HPC)centres,suchasuniversitiesandnationallaboratories,
toworkwithSMEs.
MechanismssuchasthereleaseofdatafundandR&Dtaxcreditswouldbeusefulto
exploretoprovidethenecessaryincentivesforopeningupdatausefultoAIinnovationand
providingHPCservices.Thiswillpromotecompetitionandencouragenewentrants.
Governmentshouldexploresimilarapproachesinothersectors.
Drivinggrowthacrossthewholecountry
34.Doyouagreetheprinciplessetoutinthissectionaretherightones?Ifnotwhatis
missing?
TheindustrialstrategyproposesestablishingMinisterialForumsonIndustrialStrategywith
eachoftheDevolvedAdministrations.Theseforumsshouldhelpdevelopasharedvision
foropendatainfrastructureacrossthewholeUK.Manydecisionsthatimpactdata
infrastructurearetakenwithinspecificsectorsorpolicyareas.Asharedvisionwillhelp
alignthesedecisionsacrossthecountryandleadtomorerapidrealisationoftheexpected
valueandproductivitygrowth.
35.Whatarethemostimportantnewapproachestoraisingskilllevelsinareaswherethey
arelower?Wherecouldinvestmentsinconnectivityorinnovationdomosttohelpdrive
growthacrossthecountry?
First,thissectionoftheindustrialstrategydiscusseseducation,graduateretentionand
apprenticeshipsaswaystoraiseskillslevels.Asnotedearlierinourresponsewewould
observethatitisalsopossibletodecreasetheskilllevelrequiredtoperformataskby
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
18
designingbetterandmoreaccessibletoolsandservicestosupportthepeopleperforming
thattask.
Second,localmulti-stakeholderinstitutionssuchastheODINodesarewell-placedto
identifyissues,identifyandbrokersolutionstoraisingskillsthataretargetedandrelevant
tolocalneeds.
Creatingtherightinstitutionstobringtogethersectorsand
places
36.Recognisingtheneedforlocalinitiativeandleadership,howshouldwebestworkwith
localareastocreateandstrengthenkeylocalinstitutions?
Wewelcometheindustrialstrategysemphasisonhavingtherightinstitutionsinplaceat
localleveltoidentifyandbuildonstrengths.TheUKishistoricallystrongatinnovationand
hasworldleadingresearchclusters.Weneedtherightorganisationsinplacetomakesure
thebenefitsfromthiscuttingedgeresearchflowthroughintothewidereconomy.These
organisationscannotjustbeinLondon,orjustfocussedontechnologyfortechnology's
sake,theyneedtoincreaseproductivityandsupportthewholeeconomy.
Itisimportanttorecognisethatmanylocalinnovationorganisations,includingonesfor
data,alreadyexistandthatitcantaketimeforanynewinstitutiontodeterminehowto
createimpact.Thecurrentorganisationsformanetworkincludingleadingclusterssuchas
Leeds,NewcastleandSouthWales.Asanetworktheyareinnovating,buildingnew
businesses,developingskillsandbuildingdatainfrastructureacrossthecountry.We
recommendinvestinginexistingleadersandinitiativesratherthancreatingnewinstitutions,
andsupportingthembybringingthemtogetherinapeernetworktolearnfromeachother.
37.Whatarethemostimportantinstitutionswhichweneedtoupgradeorsupporttoback
growthinparticularareas?
AttheOpenDataInstituteweworkmostcloselywithapeernetworkofODINodesacross
theworld.ThisincludesnodesinallfourUKnationsandmanyUKcity-regions.
Eachofthenodeshelplocalandregionalgovernment,businesses,communitygroups,
academiaandinnovatorsandprovideaneutralspacetoconvenedifferentgroupstosolve
data-relatedproblemsandgrowastrong,fairandsustainabledataeconomyintheir
locality.Thenodesareopenaboutwhattheydo,sharewhattheylearnandthetoolsand
techniquestheydevelop,andworktogetherwithpartnerswithinandbeyondthenode
network.
TheODINodenetworkisfocussedondata.Werecommendthatgovernmentsupportthis
nodenetwork,andothernetworkswithsimilarmodels,todriveoutcomesoncross-cutting
issuesacrossthecountry.Thiscouldbeginwithacombinationoffundingandnetwork
buildingbyconnectingtheODInetworktolocalgovernment,regionalbodiesandlocalcivil
servicefootprint.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
19
38.Arethereinstitutionsmissingincertainareaswhichwecouldhelpcreateorstrengthen
tosupportlocalgrowth?
Unfortunatelywhilethereisinformationaboutdigitalorganisations,throughreportssuchas
TechNation,thereisalackofdataabouttheorganisationsthatformthedatainnovation
landscape;thestrengthsoflocalareas;andtheopportunitiesforgrowth.
TohelpfillthisgaptheDigitalCatapultandOpenDataInstitutehavedevelopedadirectory
ofgovernment-fundeddatainnovationorganisationswhethertheyarelocal,nationalor
sectoral.Thisdirectorywillprovidepracticalhelptobusinesses,governmentandacademia
whowanttofindsupportandpartnerswhotheycanworkwithtodeliverimpactintheir
locality.
Thisdirectorywillalsohelppeopletoperformresearchtounderstandthevalue-addof
government-supportedinstitutions,whichorganisationsshouldreceivemoresupport,what
modelsworkwellfordifferenttypesoflocality,andwhichareaslacktherightkindsof
support.
Thedirectorycanbesupportedbyinformationaboutdifferentplacesstrengthsand
opportunities.Someofthisinformationwillbequalitativewhileotherinformationwillbe
quantitative,suchastheresearchintotheIoTsectorperformedbyODILeeds.TheODI,
DigitalCatapultandODILeedshaveusedfundingfromInnovateUKtoperformquantitative
researchforthehealth,manufacturingandcreativesectors.Theresearchwillbepublished
inMay2017andwillprovideinsightsintocitieswherecentralandlocalgovernmentmay
wishtoinvesttosupportlocalgrowth.
Moreresearchlikethiscouldbecommissionedbygovernmentaspartofitsinvestigation
intosectordeals.Thedatacaninformfuturedecisionssuchasthetypeofinstitutionthat
mightsuitacertainareaorinstitutionsthatalreadyexistbutneedmorefinancialsupportor
timetodemonstratethattheycanhelpdelivertheneededgrowth.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
20
Summaryofrecommendations
TheOpenDataInstitutesresponsetotheUKgovernmentsindustrialstrategygreenpaper
isfocussedondataandopenness.TheODIworkstobuildastrong,fairandsustainable
dataeconomyinwhichdatagetstothepeoplewhoneedit.Webelievethatopennessisa
vitalmechanismtocreateadataeconomythatworksforeveryone.Werecommendthat
opennessformsoneofthepillarsoftheindustrialstrategy.
DataisoneoftheUKskeystrengths-atlocal,devolvedandnationallevels-anditisthe
righttimetoinvesttobuildonthatstrength.Wearegoingthroughadatarevolutiondueto
thegrowthofthewebandinternetcoupledwiththedropinthepriceofsoftwareand
hardware.Datahasbecomeanewformofinfrastructurefora21stcenturyeconomy.
Investinginourdataeconomycancreatesignificantgrowthinproductivityandeconomic
valueacrosssectors.TheUKhascapacitytocreatejobsandvalueusingdataanda
competitiveadvantagecomparedtoothernations.
Theresponseprovidespriorityareasforactionondata:
- developingasharedvisionforastrongdatainfrastructureacrossthewholeUKto
helpgrowtheeconomyinallregionsandmaketheUKacompetitiveplacetogrow
orstartabusiness
- ensuringsectordealsaredevelopedintheopenandhelpbuildopendata
infrastructure
- usingtheIndustrialChallengeStrategyFundtosupportresearchintodata
infrastructure,skills,openinnovation,andintobuildinginequity,engagementand
ethicstodatause
- encouragingnational,devolvedandlocalgovernmenttoworkwithlocalinstitutions,
suchastheODINodes,andsupportpeernetworks
- publishingopendataonthecapabilitiesandstrengthsofdifferentplacesand
sectors
- providingdataskillsandliteracythroughacombinationofgovernmentand
business-providedtrainingandbetterdesignedservices
- fundingbettertoolsfordatadiscoverabilityandbuildingopengeospatialdata
infrastructure
- usingpublicsectortransformationandprocurementtoopenupdataandencourage
theuseofopenstandards
- usingfiscalincentivesandchallengestoencouragetheprivatesectortoopendata
todriveinnovation
- ensuringtheUKcontinuestobeawelcomingplaceformigrantsinthetechindustry
- revisitingdatalegislationaspartoftheprocessforexitingtheUK
- securingadataadequacyarrangementwiththeEUandensuringnodisruptionto
non-EUdataflows
Intheresponsewehaveprovidedsomesector-specificdetailontheimportanceofdata
andopennessintheenergyandartificialintelligencesectors.Similarthinkingcouldbe
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
21
appliedtootherareassuchastransport,agriculture,orhousingtohelpbuildadata
economythatworksforeveryone.
TheOpenDataInstitute,3rdFloor,65CliftonStreet,LondonEC2A4JE,UK|http://www.theodi.org
22