The University of Liverpool is part of a multi-million pound research consortium that will analyse the large amount of consumer data generated by the retail sector.
The Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) is one of a number of big data projects announced by the Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, which aim to create national resources in reusing data that are routinely collected by business and local government organisations.
Dr Alex Singleton, from the Department of Geography and Planning who will lead the project at Liverpool, said: “The CDRC will unlock valuable insight about consumer behaviour from the vast amounts of data collected by retailers, drawing on Liverpool’s expertise in applied spatial analysis and geographic data science.
“It will link to other ESRC Big Data Centres and this will help to create ‘joined up’ Big Data analysis, as for example in mapping energy efficiency and consumption behaviour, or tracing relationships between shopping habits and health outcomes.”
Announcing the funding at the GovNet High Performance Computing and Big Data conference in London, Mr Willetts said: “Big data is one of the eight great technologies of the future and a priority for government. It has the potential to transform public and private sector organisations, drive research and development, increase productivity and innovation, and enable market-changing products and services.
“This funding will help the UK grasp these opportunities and get ahead in the global race.”