Bristol City Council is soon to open up over 100 sets of open data, from traffic management to land use databases, and put them online to allow local developers, startups and SMEs to create new products and services to improve the way Bristol is run. And the more people they can get involved, the better.
The project is looking for ways to make it easier to travel around Bristol, to reduce waste and energy usage, and improve air quality.
This open data collaboration is being run in conjunction with the Connected Digital Economy Catapult, a national centre designed to rapidly advance the UK’s best digital ideas, and the Future Cities Catapult, a global centre of excellence on urban innovation. Together they will be running a series of events and competitions for Bristolians to show off their ideas. Those involved will be supported in testing, prototyping and commercialising their ideas.
We caught up with Dr Maurizio Pilu, partnerships director at the Connected Digital Economy Catapult, to ask him about the scheme and why they are doing it: “Data driven innovation, especially by small businesses, is one of the key priorities of the Connected Digital Economy Catapult.
“We believe that not only should there be more city data being released, but that it should also become more usable by innovators, citizens and councils alike to enable value creation. It is for this reason that we are delighted to collaborate with Bristol City Council and Future Cities Catapult on this shared objective.”
“The startups and SMEs are our route to understanding not only what data is valuable and creating value but also how they use the data so we can make it even better next time we do it”
When asked if getting local startups and SMEs involved was important, Pilu came back with an emphatic yes: “The startups and SMEs are our route to understanding not only what data is valuable and creating value but also how they use the data so we can make it even better next time we do it. The real value to the local citizens will come via those startups and SMEs. They are absolutely crucial.”
When asked why the Connected Digital Economy Catapults were running this kind of project, Pilu explained: “As a Catapult we want to understand how this project works in Bristol, what kind of data schemas, data standards have been used and then work with other cities to do similar things. Replicating the project elsewhere and making it grow is very important to us.”
“This exciting collaboration is exactly the sort of creative and innovative approach for which Bristol has become known, nationally and internationally”
The Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson said of the project: “This exciting collaboration is exactly the sort of creative and innovative approach for which Bristol has become known, nationally and internationally. It will help everyone in the city, from large organisations to individuals, to have a greater control of their lives by informing decision making.
“It will also play an important part in building the city’s prosperity by making it an even better place in which to invest and do business, attracting new employers to the city.”
The Bristol open data scheme scheme will be run in late summer this year, but if you want to register your interest in getting involved you can email the Connected Digital Economy Catapult to register your interest.
