ResponsetoconsultationintotheUK

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:

Datainfrastructure Dataskills Datainnovation

Tomaximisethebenefitsto Totakeadvantageofthe Tomakebestuseofdata,

businesses,theeconomy,
andsociety,thedatawe
relyonneedstobe
adaptable,trustworthy,and
asopenaspossiblesothat
itcaneasilygettowhere
itsneeded.
datarevolution,businesses,
policymakersandcitizens
needtounderstandhowto
makeuseofdata.This
rangesfrombasicdata
literacytoadvancedskillsin
bothdatascienceanddata
strategy.
weneedbridgesbetween
academicresearch,public,
privateandthirdsectors,
andathrivingstartup
ecosystemwherenewideas
andapproachescangrow.

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:

Equity Ethics Engagement

Knowledgeispowerand Howdataiscollected,used Wewantcitizenstobefull

dataleadstoknowledge.
Thosewhodeterminewhat
dataiscollectedandwho
accessesitdeterminehow
weseetheworld.Those
whocanaffordtocollector
buydataarethosewho
benefitfromitsinsights.
Andthosewhoarent
counted,arentincluded.
andsharedcaninfringeon
ourprivacyandourworld
view.Decisionsaremade
byalgorithmswithno
opportunityforappeal.We
areunawareofhowfardata
aboutusisspread.Consent
isanecessarybutnolonger
asufficientmechanismto
controldataaboutus.
participantsinsociety.But
whenstatisticsareusedin
publicdebate,wedon't
knowwhototrust.Ourlack
ofdataliteracy
disempowersus,limitsour
abilitytoholdinstitutionsto
account,andmeansour
democraticchoicesmaynot
bebasedonevidence.

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.

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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?

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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.

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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?

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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appliedtootherareassuchastransport,agriculture,orhousingtohelpbuildadata
economythatworksforeveryone.

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