1Spatial: Building Data Foundations for Government Digital Transformation
Guest blog written by Matthew White, Senior Business Development Manager, 1Spatial as part of the Digital Transformation in the Public Sector Week #techUKDigitalPS
Asset Information Management
Local and central government assets are integral to the functioning of the UK and in delivering reliable public services. This data needs to be accessible to the organisation and its supply chain, enabling Government organisations to identify exactly what information they have and need, where it is located and who has access to it.
Data Interoperability
The GIIG, sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), aims to help Government deliver, and benefit from, interoperable asset information. Data interoperability, however, cannot be possible unless the data assets are of an agreed quality and standard before being ingested or integrated into a larger system or shared for wider consumption and decision-making.
The Data Lifecycle and the Data Supply Chain
Many stakeholders, including external contractors, contribute information about an asset throughout its lifecycle.
Where data is being used to manage strategic infrastructures - such as road networks, airports, flood defences or power stations - challenges may arise when asset information needs to be integrated from multiple data owners. Discrepancies in data formats, currency and granularity can lead to varying levels of accuracy, quality and consistency.
Accelerated Digital Transformation
Defined standards and structures, through a process of automated data validation and correction, can support and accelerate digital transformation.
To create good foundations that allow central and local governments to have confidence in the data, data quality is critical. Rather than resorting to a one-off manual clean-up process, an automated data correction or enhancement regime can identify and then rectify errors – or alternatively infer data that’s missing - according to a set of predefined criteria or rules. Organisations with large amounts of legacy data, in old IT systems, are especially prone to this challenge.
Data governance
Not only is automation more efficient and less error-prone, but it establishes a structure for the data to be continually governed, as opposed to an individual project that validates and cleans the data at a single point in time.
With automation, data governance becomes a process rather than an event and ensures the integrity, interoperability, availability and compliance of the data. Automated processes are critical in wider supply chain projects and developing a strategy to create and maintain strong data foundations will ultimately benefit wider digital transformation projects.
In addition to technology, a structured approach to data management and the development of solid data foundations can enable the integrity, interoperability, availability and compliance of the data throughout its lifecycle.
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This article was written by Matthew White, Senior Business Development Manager, 1Spatial. To learn more about 1Spatial, please visit their LinkedIn and Twitter. Matthew is a strategic business leader, with an excellent track record of working in the digital services industry. Accomplished in building and leading customer and stakeholder engagement and business development to deliver new value propositions, innovations, business models and digital services that meet customer needs and add value. Strong business and technical knowledge of government, local government, emergency services, health, insurance and utilities markets. Read more about this author.
On Tuesday 5 April, techUK was delighted to host the Cabinet Office and industry representatives for the launch event for the UK Government’s Digital, Data and Technology Sourcing Playbook which was published on 28 March 2022. The DDaT Sourcing Playbook sets out guidance – in one place – as to how digital projects and programmes are assessed, procured and delivered in central government departments, arms-length bodies and the wider public sector. Through the application of what is commercial best practice, the Playbook addresses 11 key policies and six cross-cutting priorities that will ensure government gets things right from the start when it comes to procurement.
You can watch the recording of the launch event in full here:
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