The power of data – London Tech Week 2016
On Monday 20 June 2016, as part of London Technology Week, I was one of seven speakers who presented at an event hosted by the London Borough of Camden to discuss the power of data and the role data needs to play in reforming public services. The other speakers included: Sherry Coutu, Chair of founders4schools; […]
UK Offices of Data Analytics – from rhetoric to reality
If you’ve heard me speak at a conference or read one of my blogs, you’ve probably gathered that I’m a big admirer of New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA). At times I may have sounded like a broken record. In my defence, there are good reasons to be excited about the model […]
What does a good data market look like?
On 29 April 2016 I took part in a lunchtime debate hosted by the Open Data Institute on the subject: What does a good data market look like? I was joined on the panel by Leigh Dodds, Chair of Bath: Hacked and ODI Associate; and Yodit Stanton, founder of Open Sensors. The comments I gave (see […]
3 Steps to Save Local Digital Government
We’ve cracked the easy stuff – now for the hard part… It was a graph that first provoked my interest in local government digital reform. Flicking through the pages of an LGA report on council funding, it suddenly appeared: two lines – one showing funding, the other expenditure – starting together in 2010 and quickly […]
Mayor, whatever you want to do, data can help you do it better
An open letter to the next Mayor of London explaining why they need a London Office of Data Analytics. To the new Mayor of London, Congratulations on your election victory! No doubt you’re impatient to start delivering on your campaign promises. Just before you do, I’d like to highlight one point: no matter what your […]
Big Data, Cities, City Data, Data, featured, Local Government, open data
MODA’s 10 step process for improving a service with data analytics
I have frequently written and spoken about the amazing work of New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA), originally set up and led by Mike Flowers (read my interview with Mike). A common question I receive is: How does MODA actually apply data analytics to help a service delivery team (SDT) – i.e. […]
It’s time to say goodbye to the open data portal. Here’s why…
Look at some of the most transformative operating models used by leading digital organisations such as Wikipedia, Twitter and TripAdvisor and what do you notice? Their value comes from sourcing data from outside their organisation. In light of this, many cities’ approach to open data can be seen to have a glaring shortfall: the flow […]
If city devolution is to succeed, cities need to up their game on data
Today sees the launch of “Smart Devolution”, my final report for Policy Exchange, co-authored with Cameron Scott. Read the full report here. The following article introducing the report first appeared in Computer Weekly. Smart Devolution City devolution is at the very heart of the government’s policy programme for this parliament. The intention is that by […]
10 Recommendations for the UK Digital Strategy
In response to the Government’s request for ideas for the UK’s Digital Strategy, I offer the following recommendations for Section 2 – Transforming Government. Data Public sector digital transformation fundamentally depends on making smarter use of data. Therefore: 1 – Data.gov.uk should be converted into a data marketplace where different creators and consumers of data […]
Mike Flowers Policy Exchange Interview – Full Transcript
In June 2015, I published “Big Data In the Big Apple” a report on how London could learn from New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA). MODA’s founding director, Mike Flowers (now based at Enigma Technologies), recently visited Policy Exchange to record an interview about his experiences of applying data analytics to urban […]
Mike Flowers on why UK cities should harness their existing data
In June 2015, I published Big Data in the Big Apple, a report on how London could learn from New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA). On 16 October 2015, MODA’s founding director, Mike Flowers, visited Policy Exchange to record an interview about his experiences of applying data analytics to urban environments. Below […]
Has technology rendered open standards unnecessary?
Interesting things happen when the price of a technology approaches zero. It makes possible new products and services, changes consumer behaviour and renders old problems and priorities obsolete. Take, for example, the plummeting cost of computer memory, which – combined with the internet and world wide web – has given us things like email, cloud […]
