Skip to main content

UK report says transport innovation at risk due to unshared data

Innovation in transport is at risk because data is not being shared in the sector – according to a new report commissioned by the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) and using analysis from the Open Data Institute (ODI) and Deloitte. Fears around cyber security, lack of data literacy skills and a legacy of viewing transport modes such as rail and road in isolation are restricting the free flow of information, preventing the UK from unlocking the full potential of its transport network. According to the TSC
April 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Innovation in transport is at risk because data is not being shared in the sector – according to a new report commissioned by the 7800 Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) and using analysis from the Open Data Institute (ODI) and 1979 Deloitte.

Fears around cyber security, lack of data literacy skills and a legacy of viewing transport modes such as rail and road in isolation are restricting the free flow of information, preventing the UK from unlocking the full potential of its transport network. According to the TSC, overcoming these barriers could unlock US$17.5 billion (£14billion) of benefits from new innovations by 2025.

Technologies such as driverless cars, journey planning apps and smart ticketing are all identified as opportunities which can be fully exploited with a strong data regime that opens and shares as much data as possible while respecting privacy.  The TSC is calling on government to work closely not only with the Catapult, but industry to develop a data culture by providing a framework for secure access to data and guidelines for opening and sharing data; led by a new Mobility Data Hub to help the public and private sector work together and breakdown the barriers.

The report claims that investment in data could lead to faster journeys, lower emissions, improved regional connections and opportunities for job creation in an emerging technology sector – without the need for massive infrastructure building projects.

Related Content

  • January 24, 2023
    Iomob: Tech can help us make better transport choices
    Tired of ‘greenwashing’? Maybe it’s time for the transport sector to think differently, and more ambitiously, about how to encourage greener modal shift, suggests Adrian Ulisse of Iomob
  • March 18, 2019
    UK council ‘budget cuts’ halt development of EV charging
    More than 100 UK local authorities say they have no plans to increase their number of electric vehicle (EV) charging points. These findings have been revealed from freedom of information (FoI) requests submitted by the Liberal Democrats and shared with The Guardian newspaper. According to the report, Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat former energy and climate change secretary, says the lack of investment in charging points is due to “cuts to council budgets”. “Unless there is urgent action to tackle our out
  • February 20, 2019
    MaaS Market London conference attracts global experts
    A plethora of global mobility experts is heading for ITS International’s 2019 MaaS Market Conference, reflecting the increasing pace of Mobility as a Service deployment. Colin Sowman reports Mobility as a Service (MaaS) cannot exist without the digitisation of transport services - and digitisation is without doubt the biggest challenge the transport sector has ever faced. It will create more changes over the next five to 10 years than the transport sector has seen in the past 100 - and there will be winn
  • July 17, 2012
    US economic stimulus package highlights ITS technology
    US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood talks to ITS International about economic stimulus funding and the absolute need to maintain and increase the use of technology in transportation. Of the total of $787 billion of funding announced under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the economic stimulus package which was signed into law by US President Barack Obama on 17 February 2009, $48.1 billion will go to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT). Of that, $27.5 billion is for highway in