This strategy sets out how best to unlock the power of data for the UK. It builds upon initiatives such as the Industrial Strategy, the AI Review, the AI Sector Deal and the Research and Development Roadmap – setting out a framework for how we approach and invest in data to strengthen our economy and create big opportunities for us in the future. The government believes that unlocking the value of data is key to driving growth both within the digital sector and across the economy. This will be part of our Digital Strategy, which will be published in the Autumn and will consider more broadly how we can support a digital drive for growth. In this publication, we set out the framework for the approach this government will take, the improvements we seek to deliver and the priority missions we will focus on now to realise that change. The increasing importance of data raises novel and complex policy questions. Some of these need further consideration before the UK government confirms its direction. As such, we are also asking for your views in relation to our general framing, along with some of the actions we are considering. These questions are included throughout the document and also collated in an accompanying publication. This consultation is on a UK-wide basis: we welcome responses from organisations and individuals across the UK. The strategy covers both reserved and devolved areas: where the strategy covers reserved areas (and, in respect of Northern Ireland, excepted areas), it does so for the whole of the UK, and where it covers devolved or transferred areas, it applies to England only. We will publish a response to this consultation in early 2021. A National Data Strategy will require activity and focus beyond government. In this framework strategy we have focused on the government’s role in harnessing data. Following this consultation period, and as we move to implementation, we will work with stakeholders to set out how we will work with business and actors across the wider data landscape to land a strategy for the whole of the UK.
What we mean by data
Data is notoriously hard to define – and it means different things to different people. For an application developer, data is what enables the creation of rich and complex digital services. For a scientist, it is what is collected as part of experiments or surveys. For a data protection practitioner, it is the names and addresses of staff organised in a spreadsheet. For a personal trainer, it is the information in an app recording our heart rate during a workout. And for every one of us, it is the tool that powers our online maps, helps us book supermarket delivery slots, and allows us to check tomorrow’s weather forecast.
When we refer to data, we mean information about people, things and systems. While the legal definition of data covers paper and digital records, the focus of this strategy is on digital information. Data about people can include personal data, such as basic contact details, records generated through interaction with services or the web, or information about their physical characteristics (biometrics) – and it can also extend to population-level data, such as demographics. Data can also be about systems and infrastructure, such as administrative records about businesses and public services. Data is increasingly used to describe location, such as geospatial reference details, and the environment we live in, such as data about biodiversity or the weather. It can also refer to the information generated by the burgeoning web of sensors that make up the Internet of Things.
When thinking about the government’s own data use, the strategy covers administrative, operational and transactional data – that is, data collected in the process of running services or businesses – as well as analytical and statistical data.
To ensure that data dependency risks are well managed, we are also interested in the infrastructure underpinning the storage of data, such as physical and virtualised data centres/the Cloud.
1.1 Evidence and working with stakeholders This strategy, and the structure and substance of the pillars on which it is built, is drawn from a range of evidence sources, including desk research covering both case studies and published academic/sector research. In June 2019, the government launched a call for evidence on the proposed framework of the strategy, receiving over 100 responses. Alongside this, a programme of stakeholder engagement was undertaken, including the hosting of 20 roundtables and workshops, with representatives from over 250 organisations across business, the third sector and local government. Through our call for evidence, roundtables and workshops held across the country in 2019, we consulted on our parameters and objectives, and gathered evidence that has underpinned this framework National Data Strategy. We have analysed the call for evidence submissions and the discussions at the roundtables to make sure our evidence base is as wide and inclusive as possible. A summary of our call for evidence and of the stakeholder engagement can be found in the accompanying publication. Data policy is a rapidly evolving area globally, and for many of the issues highlighted in this strategy a number of questions remain unanswered, with further research and analysis required. As the government takes this strategy forward, we will continue to draw upon available evidence to inform our actions. We will develop a monitoring and evaluation process for the strategy to help ensure it is achieving its intended outcomes, as well as building the evidence base on which we develop and evaluate future policy decisions. As we move to implementation, we will further continue to work with stakeholders to set out how we will engage with business and the wider data economy to land a strategy for the whole of the UK.