STATISTICS OVERHAUL
monitor settlement patterns and nocturnal activity.
information for the purposes of understanding the complex fabric of life in the UK. By combining satellite imagery with vast quantities of national mapping data from the likes of Ordnance Survey, the ONS will be able to better understand the patterns of economic and social activity across the country. In order to understand the potential which geospatial information presents the ONS, one needs to understand how earth observation data is currently being harnessed by the private sector. In the USA, for example, Walmart is currently using imagery in order to monitor the number of customers parked in their shopping centres, a technique which is intended to better inform staffing and logistical decisions. Elsewhere imagery is used to track tanker ships in the ocean, to estimate the stocks of available natural resources, and even, thanks to NASA’s recently released nighttime satellite imagery, to better
However, earth observation imagery is just one of the many Big Geospatial Data types which is being used to gather better insights into the geography of the UK. Satellite imagery will be supplemented by traffic sensor data in order to track commuter patterns, as well as the volume, speed, and occupancy rates of the traffic. Bodies such as the ONS will be able to provide this information to relevant authorities for the purposes of better coordinating and monitoring road-works activities, to automate incident detection, and to better manage the flow of traffic. Combined with cellular statistics and usage, the UK government will also be able to understand ‘why’ people move and commute as they do, and to understand how spaces are used differently depending on the time of the day. As well as helping to inform more immediate decisions regarding crowd control and security issues, these innovative techniques will help inform the complex policy-making decisions regarding the ‘night-time economy’ and the national property market. However, mapping the UK using modern statistical techniques is
unlikely to stop there. Street level data such as Google Streetview imagery will be used to enhance an understanding of what is displayed on a map, and to explore the relationship between demographic patterns such as health, education, and levels of deprivation. Similar to how data can be used to better manage movement within a country, modern statistical information can be used to revise outdated procedures and strategies, and to better plan for the location (and re-relocation) of required resources and services. By embracing new approaches, bodies such as the ONS are leading the way in terms of how Big Geospatial Data will be used to improve government decisionmaking and spending. However, if truly valuable results are to be derived from such approaches, then stakeholders will need to develop a solid understanding of the economic, social, and environmental benefits which can be derived from such information. Of key importance here is that the principles of openness, including the associated considerations of methodology, regulation, privacy, funding and management of the data, are not just understood, but upheld.
20 August 2017
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