Case Studies: open and big data

This paper brings together a number of case studies on how cities from the UK and beyond have made use of big and open data to improve local economies and service delivery. Using city level data is crucial in improving urban economies and making cities better places to live and work. Collecting and sharing such data enables places to identity opportunities and address weaknesses, and also allows for more effective policy development in delivering economic growth. Open data and big data can also be used to deliver a vast range of other benefits, from reducing congestion and pollution to improving service response times and safety.

The case studies demonstrating how cities use data and what they are trying to achieve are split into three groups:

• Delivering efficient services using data The provision and re-use of public sector information can lead to an increase in economic growth. Improving access to data has a positive impact on the number of people using it, and is associated with greater innovation, improved and new services, and efficiency improvements from better resource allocation and informed policy.

• Raising awareness of data To get the most out of an open data policy, organisations must do more than just release data – they must promote this data so that people are aware it is available and use it.