Mayor calls for new vision for using data to tackle city's challenges

London Datastore marks 10 years sharing free and accessible data about the capital

Online tool used to map air quality, school places, local cultural assets and much more

Data set to play crucial role in tackling challenges as London grows

As the ground-breaking London Datastore marks its 10^th anniversary, the Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a new vision for using data to help to tackle some of the most urgent challenges facing the capital.

The report by the Open Data Institute, published today, looks at how the city’s data collection and sharing should evolve over the next decade, building on the success of the London Datastore, City Hall’s free and open data-sharing platform.

The London Datastore was one of the first of its kind developed by a major city anywhere in the world, making freely available huge amounts of data about the capital which has been used to tackle some of London’s most important challenges, such as easing road congestion and improving air quality.

The platform currently has around 60,000 users each month and is home to more than 6,000 datasets – up from around 500 when it was first launched in 2010 – ranging from population estimates, to rough sleeping figures and international visitor numbers.

London’s population is estimated to grow to nearly 11 million by 2050 and data, such as that available via the Datastore, will become even more important as the City Hall works with its partners to positively impact Londoners’ lives.

City Hall’s developers have used the data to create a range of maps and applications, including a number which Londoners will be familiar with:

• London Rents Map, which 85,000 Londoners used last year to help them find an affordable home;
• Schools Atlas, a tool for parents selecting schools for their children;
• Cultural Infrastructure Map, which helps people enjoy and preserve music venues, studios and community halls in their neighbourhoods;
• a range of air quality mapping using data from a network of sensors showing Londoners pollution levels in their local areas, as well as prioritising new electric bus routes.

The London Datastore has also helped develop tools used by the public sector and businesses, including the Green Infrastructure Map, which uses aerial and infrared images with satellite data to map London’s ‘green canopy’ to determine where new trees and open spaces are needed.

It also powers the Infrastructure Mapping App, which helps utility companies coordinate roadworks to minimise disruption and congestion across the capital.

In June 2018, the Mayor launched the Smarter London Together Roadmap, his plan to make London the smartest city in the world. In the Roadmap, Sadiq tasked London’s first-ever Chief Digital Officer, Theo Blackwell – who he appointed in August 2017 – to develop a bolder approach to harnessing the power of the city’s data to benefit all Londoners.

To modernise the city’s approach to data, City Hall has worked with the Open Data Institute – an organisation which works with the public and private sector to help build an open, trustworthy data system – to publish a report outlining how the Datastore can evolve over the next decade.

 

The report contains recommendations on how the platform should sit at the heart of the new approach to the safe and secure sharing of data to benefit all Londoners, including:

• revamping and expanding the London Datastore;
• ensuring the Datastore is central to wider efforts to increase the amount and quality of data available across London; and
• making the platform as easy to use as possible.

The report also recommends developing a new approach to sharing civic data from City Hall – this will be led by London’s Chief Digital Officer, Theo Blackwell, and will bring together councils, universities, the public sector, businesses and Londoners.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is considered one of the world’s leading smart cities because we have an enviable track record of using data to solve everyday problems faced by Londoners.

“By responsibly opening up a huge amount of data held by our public sector partners and working with London’s brilliant tech sector, we’re helping tackle some of the most urgent challenges facing our city as it grows.

“The next step is to create a shared approach for the city so we can all benefit from the innovation this will bring – while using the data we hold on Londoners’ behalf transparently, safely and securely.”

Last month, business organisation London First launched the London Data Commission, which will complement the work on city data currently underway at the Greater London Authority and London Councils. 

  

It will also aim to ensure that, over the next 10 years, businesses work with the public sector to unleash the potential of data to help solve the big issues for London. It is due to report during this year’s London Tech Week in June.



Head of Technology at the Open Data Institute and the report’s lead author, Olivier Thereaux, said: “The London Datastore is a data-portal pioneer – providing a platform where anyone can access public data. For a decade it has been empowering people, increasing transparency and enabling innovation. But portals must evolve with changing technologies – such as responding to the rise of data search and APIs – and remain relevant to their users, present and future.



“In our report on the opportunities for the London Datastore in the future, we recommend improving the platform by making data easier to find, as well as engaging people to prioritise which datasets to add, and showcasing how data can be used to derive insights and learnings which in turn can help improve the lives of Londoners.



“We also recommend that the datastore team at GLA take on a greater role as trusted guide and steward to the data community, by documenting best practices, championing standards and facilitating collaboration around data.



Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive of London First, said: “Open data has led to some incredible initiatives over the last decade. However, looking towards the next 10 years and beyond, it is vital that London becomes a digitally-powered capital.



“Fully realising data’s potential will revolutionise how London goes about its daily business, with the London Data Commission playing a critical role in unlocking data-led solutions to our capital’s key challenges.”

ENDS