This weeklong conference takes place online using ZOOM webinar.
Summary
Download the event programme summary (PDF)
Monday 20 June 2022
11:00 - 12:00
Title: The Data Decade
Speaker: Nigel Shadbolt BA MA (Oxon) PhD DSc, FRS, FREng, FBCS
Synopsis: The last 10 years have seen an exponential growth in open and shared data, with a commensurate, huge increase in the social and economic value created. This talk will reflect on the ideas behind the development of open data as a concept and look back to the foundation, ten years ago, of the Open Data Institute(ODI). In those ten years the perception of data and its value to business and society has changed significantly. At the same time the volume and variety of data is in danger of outstripping our ability to harness its value and use it effectively, even with developments in ML and AI. I will introduce some examples of how the ODI has delivered on its mission to create 'A world where data works for everyone'. I will then look forward to the next ten years. The next decade surely presents even greater challenges and opportunities – a future in which open and shared data will have an even greater role to play.
Bio: Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt is a leading researcher in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and one of the originators of the interdisciplinary field of Web Science. He is Principal of Jesus College Oxford and a Professor of Computing Science at the University of Oxford. He is chair of the Open Data Institute which he co-founded with Sir Tim Berners-Lee. In 2009 he was appointed Information Advisor by the Prime Minister and, working with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, led the development of the highly acclaimed data.gov.uk website. In 2010, he joined the UK government’s Public Sector Transparency Board – overseeing Open Data releases across the public sector. He was knighted in 2013 for ‘services to science and engineering’.
Nigel has a degree in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Newcastle and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh. In 1983 he joined the Department of Psychology at Nottingham where he established and led a vibrant AI group. In 1992 he became the Allan Standen Professor of Intelligent Systems. He moved to Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science in 2000. At Southampton he researched the next generation of the World Wide Web and was the first Head of the Web and Internet Science Group. At Oxford he focused his research on human centred AI in a wide range of applications. Most recently he was asked to lead the setting-up of the Oxford Institute of Ethics in AI.
With over 500 publications, he has researched and published on topics ranging from cognitive psychology to computational neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence to the Semantic Web. In 2018 he published The Digital Ape: how to live (in peace) with smart machines, described as a ‘landmark book’.
He is a Fellow of The Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the British Computer Society.
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16:00 - 17:00
Title: COVID Health Dashboard: Open Data during a pandemic
Speaker: Clare Griffiths, UK Health Security Agency
Synopsis: The presentation will cover the background to the coronavirus dashboard, covering the different aspects of how we maintain it – including analysis, data pipelines, research and design and technology. There will be a particular focus on open data and the use of application programming interfaces (APIs).
Bio: Clare is Head of the UK COVID-19 dashboard at the UK Health Security Agency. She leads on all aspects of data development and production for the dashboard. She is a statistician with a background in mortality statistics of over 20 years. In Public Health England, Clare was Head of Profession for statistics and also managed a range of projects including the Public Health Outcomes Framework. Clare has an MSc in Medical Demography from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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Tuesday 21 June 2022
11:00 - 12:00
Title: Driving Open Data innovation through Product Development
Speaker: Chloe Davis, TfL
Synopsis: TfL first released data feeds to the public back in 2009, and its open data service has since been used by thousands of developers and in hundreds of apps. As the market and TfL’s strategy has developed in the intervening years, find out how the open data service has evolved alongside TfL’s own customer-facing products, and the benefits that developing the TfL Go travel app brings to the open data eco-system.
Bio: Chloe is a senior product manager in the T&D Digital team at Transport for London (TfL). Her responsibilities include TfL’s open data service, which provides London transit data for third party services and also powers TfL’s own products, including the TfL Go travel app. Before joining TfL in 2018, Chloe was head of product at Freesat, the UK’s free-to-air satellite TV platform, and prior to that spent many years at the BBC.
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16:00 - 17:00
Title: Embracing Open Data in the Energy Sector
Speaker: Dr. Richard Dobson
Synopsis: The Energy sector is facing a big challenge to decarbonise and enable the UK to reach Net Zero by 2050. Digital technology has a big part to play, and data is key to making the right decisions at the right time so it is critical that those who need it can get access. In this talk we will discuss the changing data landscape, the regulator’s shift to a default position of ‘Presumed Open’ and the opportunities this is creating for innovators across the energy sector and beyond.
Bio: Dr Richard Dobson leads the Data Systems Practice at Energy Systems Catapult, providing the energy sector with support and guidance to digitalise the energy system and realise greater value from data. Richard was the technical lead for the Energy Digitalisation Taskforce and the Energy Data Taskforce alongside Laura Sandys CBE as Chair and co-authored ‘A Strategy for a Modern Digital Energy System’ which advocates a ‘Presumed Open’ approach for energy system data. Richard is now technical lead on the Energy Digitalisation Taskforce once again supporting Laura Sandys CBE as Chair. Prior to joining energy, Richard ran data-centric innovation projects in telecommunications, international development and technology. Richard has a PhD in Computer Science from King’s College London.
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Wednesday 22 June 2022
11:00 – 12:00
Title: Open Data Revisited
Speaker: John Murray, Visiting Professor at University of Liverpool Geographic Data Science lab.
Synopsis: In 2014, John Murray gave a presentation on UK open data which was relatively new at the time. Eight years on he will revisit the state of UK open data, highlighting the many achievements since then. He will also present some of the problems which have arisen around copyright and IPR. Finally he will present some brief studies where open data has been used.
Bio: John Murray is a veteran data scientist, and built his first predictive model in Fortran in 1976. In 1989, he was co-founder and technical director of consumer survey group NDL International, which is now part of Acxiom, and implemented columnar analytics on large questionnaire databases in 1990. He pioneered machine learning, applied to marketing analytics, and released an object oriented neural network framework as open source in 1993. Since then John has acted as a data science advisor to startups, corporates and the UK Government. In 2001 he became a part time academic and was appointed Visiting Professor in the Data Science Lab at the University of Liverpool in July 2020. His current research work specialises in the analysis of large geospatial datasets including satellite data.
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16:00 - 17:00
Title: Openstreetmap as mature, open, linked data
Speaker: Andy Mabbett
Synopsis: What is OpenStreetMap? Despite the name, OSM is not really a map. It's a repository of open, linked data, used by everyone from hobbyists to major multinational corporations - and even its main rivals. Why does that matter to your organisation, and shouldn't you be doing more with it?
Bio: Andy Mabbett FRSA is a consultant in matters of open content, including open data, and has been Wikimedian in Residence at a number of galleries, museums, learned institutions, universities, and other organisations. He has given keynote talks on related topics on five continents. Earlier in his career, he ran what is reputed to have been the first local council website in the world. He has been a contributor to OSM since 2009.
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Thursday 23 June 2022
11:00 - 12:00
Title: Open Data In The Water Industry: A Case for Change
Speaker: Anita Payne
Synopsis:
Open data can enable water companies to create value for water customers, communities and the environment. It can be used to help address some of the challenges that the water industry faces. Anita will talk about Ofwat’s H2Open publication and why open data is so important to the sector right now. She’ll cover:
- The opportunities presented by open data
- Discuss the enablers and challenges associated with open data, and;
- Shine a light on some of the activities already underway in the industry.
Bio: Anita Payne Is A Director at Water Industry regulator Ofwat. Anita leads the Insight and Impact team that supports Ofwat in achieving its vision and strategy for the sector through high quality insights on water company and sector performance. Anita also leads on improving the way Ofwat uses data and how the sector can get more from its data. Anita has worked in the field of water economics and policy in a number of countries including Australia, the UK and the European Union.
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16:00 - 17:00
Title: Adopting a Security-Minded approach to Open Data
Speaker: Alex Luck, Alex Luck Associates
Synopsis: Open data engrains a 'presumption to publish' unless there are clear, specific reasons, such as privacy or national security, not to do so. It is therefore important to understand what data could be used by those with hostile or malicious intent to adversely affect an individuals or communities, assets or the services which those assets exist to deliver, to cause commercial or economic harm or to jeopardise national security. Adopting a security-minded approach to the sharing of data does not in any way to undermine the principles of open data or to reduce the benefits that may be gained from greater data sharing, but helps to ensure sensitive information is protected in a way that is appropriate and proportionate to the risk. This presentation explores the work ongoing in this space, the challenges and vulnerabilities being addressed and the development of the tools that support the implementation of security-minded approach as business as usual.
Bio: Alexandra Luck is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and a Member of the Register of Security Engineers and Specialists. She has authored, and been involved in the production of, standards in the UK and internationally in relation to the implementation of security and security-minded approaches as well as authoring a number of supporting articles, documentation and guidance material. She has provided advice on the implementation of security-minded approaches to digital engineering within a number of projects across a range of sectors, and comprising both buildings and infrastructure. She also has extensive experience in the development, implementation, management and auditing of proportionate and structured management systems, policies and processes and has undertaken forensic investigation and analysis of incidents, previously frequently acting as an expert witness.
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Friday 24 June 2022
11:00 - 12:00
Title: “In Conversation With...”
Speaker: Kathryn Corrick - Development and Strategy Director, Icebreaker One
Synopsis: ‘Fireside chat’ about experience at ODI, open banking, open energy etc.
Bio: With a keen interest in innovating responsibly and the impact of technology on society, Kathryn brings together experience of data and digital development, communications and change management with a practical understanding of public policy and compliance. She enables organisations to consider business, regulatory and technology requirements and to build cultures for sustainable change. She is founding partner of Corrick, Wales & Partners LLP, co-founded democracy platform Represent.me, was head of learning and content at the Open Data Institute, has run her own consulting business and was online manager for the New Statesman until 2006.
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16:00 - 17:00
Title: Panel Debate
Synopsis: This debate will ask an invited panel of speakers to comment on questions and issues that have arisen during the week.
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Our events are for adults aged 16 years and over.
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This event is brought to you by: BCS Data Management specialist group and DAMA UK
