The University of Liverpool’s Geographic Data Science Lab (GDSL) is celebrating as it takes a leading role in two new data services projects supported by Smart Data Research UK (SDR UK).
The two projects, which amount to more than £10 million in funding, will enable researchers across the UK to access new forms of smart data. They form part of a £22 million investment in a total of four projects by SDR UK.
Smart data is data generated through everyday interactions with the digital world, including via mobile apps, navigation systems, social media, and shopping. It offers a powerful opportunity to understand society and improve lives.
Liverpool geographic data scientists, Professors Alex Singleton and Dani Professor Arribas-Bel, will each co-lead a new smart data service project.
Geographic Data Service (GeoDS)
Professor Alex Singleton is a globally recognised expert in Geographic Data Science and Urban Analytics with the Geographic Data Science Lab and the Department of Geography & Planning.
He will co-lead the Geographic Data Service (GeoDS) which will integrate a wide range of data sources to generate new insights into equitable and sustainable growth – bringing focus to geographic disparities, barriers to opportunity and the circumstances of vulnerable populations.
Building on the strong foundation of the Consumer Data Research Centre, the GeoDS team, which also includes experts from the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh, will develop partnerships with data providers and coordinate a national master’s dissertation programme to engage a new generation of smart data researchers. Professor Singleton will lead this project alongside Professor Paul Longley from University College London.
Professor Alex Singleton said: “This is a great success for Liverpool’s GDSL and shows the quality and relevance of our research in this area. I am looking forward to co-leading GeoDS and engaging a new generation of smart data researchers.”
Imagery Data Service (Imago)
Dani Arribas-Bel, Professor in Geographic Data Science at the University of Liverpool and Deputy Programme Director of Urban Analytics at The Alan Turing Institute, will co-lead the Imagery Data Service (Imago).
Imago will unlock the potential of satellite imagery to provide a much richer understanding of urgent challenges facing the UK. It will adopt a highly innovative approach, combining novel computing and AI methods with stakeholder collaboration to develop new data products at scale. These new datasets, along with training and research, will help address pressing issues in fields such as environmental vulnerability, urban development and housing, inequalities, and wellbeing. Professor Arribas-Bel will lead Imago with Professor Rachel Franklin from Newcastle University
Professor Arribas-Bel said: “It is fantastic to see the work the Geographic Data Science Lab does in smart data recognised with these two awards. I am excited for Imago to help unlock the full potential of satellite imagery to address the UK’s most pressing challenges, from climate change adaptation to redressing spatial inequalities.”
Joe Cuddeford, Director of Smart Data Research UK, said: “These new data services are a major step forward in our mission to unlock the power of smart data for society. By providing researchers with safe access to new data, methods and tools we are empowering them to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing the UK today, from boosting productivity to improving health outcomes.”
Stian Westlake, Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council, said: “This investment in a new network of smart data services helps put the UK at the forefront of data-driven innovation. Data infrastructure is as critical to our shared prosperity as transport, water or power networks. When we invest in data infrastructure we are investing in economic growth, improved public services, and a more sustainable future.”
A strategic hub, based with the ESRC, will provide leadership and coordination across all four smart data services as well as common services and ethical guidance.
SDR UK is also championing public engagement in smart data research, ensuring that smart data research is understood responding to people’s concerns and aspirations.
Smart Data Research UK (SDR UK) is a UK Research and Innovation investment in digital infrastructure.