Glasgow launches City Data Hub

Glasgow has launched a new Data Hub highlighting the city’s continued commitment to smart technology. Visitors from as far as Brazil, San Francisco and Boston were among an audience of academics, entrepreneurs and service providers attending the launch at Glasgow Science Centre.

“Glasgow created the City Data Hub to demonstrate the advantages of creating an eco-system of data providers sharing information across the city to give greater insight into how Glasgow operates at scale,” Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Future City Glasgow, told Cities Today. “Information held in isolation may be of use to the holder but cross-referencing it with information from another source can make it infinitely more valuable.”

Developed in partnership with Microsoft UK and consisting of almost 400 data sets, the hub portrays a comprehensive vision of life in the city. It provides citizens, businesses, communities and decision-makers with open access to the latest information on everything from pass rates at different driving test centres, to the location of bike racks and footfall in retail areas.

As well as accessing information, Glasgow residents will also be able to contribute their own valuable local knowledge via online mapping tools and a suite of apps such as Future City Glasgow’s cycling and energy apps.

“Individuals have already created new apps using the data, while planners designing proposals for a city regeneration project have accessed datasets such as local demographics, public transport hub locations, service frequency and existing educational establishments,” added Matheson. “As part of public engagement for the regeneration project, businesses and residents in the area are also using interactive maps on the Open Glasgow site to build up a picture of how they would like the area to look over the next decade.”

At the same time Glasgow is also joining the Internet of Things by connecting its new intelligent streetlights and traffic sensors to the city data hub. Fitted with sensors the streetlights are being installed at three sites in the city. The sensors will gather information such as footfall and traffic flow, with the information sent back to the city data hub where it will be freely available to view.

“Glasgow is truly innovative, willing to transform and embrace new ways of working,” said Derrick McCourt, Director of UK Public Sector at Microsoft UK. “This hub puts Glasgow on track to have a real end-to-end Internet of Things capability, which will provide insight into the operations of the city.”

Future City Glasgow is installing Glasgow’s intelligent streetlights in partnership with LED Roadways and Silver Spring Networks. New LED lights will detect approaching pedestrians and cyclists at night and increase in brightness to light up a route ahead as well as sending data to the hub.

Future City Glasgow is a £24 million programme demonstrating how technology can make life in the city smarter, safer and more sustainable. Glasgow won funding for the Future Cities programme in a competition run by Innovate UK, the UK Government’s Innovation Agency.