Strategy positions UK as world leader on data science
A new strategy will ensure the UK is well placed to take advantage of the opportunities for using data, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts announced 31 October 2013.
‘Seizing the Data Opportunity’ sets out plans to:
- create a skilled workforce in data analytics,
- develop the UK’s data infrastructure that will allow access to high-end computing
- and help data to be shared and linked to support ground-breaking research.
A strong data infrastructure will position the UK as a world leader for the development of projects such as Smart Cities and the Internet of Things. These new innovations require specialised computing facilities to manage large data sets and are essential in developing new technologies such as transport management and specialised health care systems.
‘Seizing the Data Opportunity’ forms part of the government’s ‘Information Economy Strategy’ which was published earlier this year (14 June 2013). The strategy is a joined up approach between government and industry, making sure that there is a clear plan for growth across the UK’s information infrastructure.
It is also being launched on the same day that the government publishes its National Action Plan as part of the Open Government Partnership. The action plan outlines the government’s work to date on transparency and accountability, including opening up public sector data.
Notes to editors
A smart city uses intelligent technology to enhance our quality of life in urban environments. Cities can use the data in a variety of ways; to save money, minimise waste, measure domestic water usage and manage transport routes.
The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the growing number of internet-enabled devices that can network and communicate with each other and with other web-enabled gadgets.
The government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries’. It set 4 ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’, published at Budget 2011:
- to create the most competitive tax system in the G20,
- to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business,
- to encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy,
- to create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.
Work is underway across government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the government wants the economy to travel.
