Nigel Shadbolt calling for investments in UK data infrastructure

The UK government should continue to invest and innovate, extend and develop policy if it wants to stay at the forefront of open data, Nigel Shadbolt, Chairman of the Open Data Institute (ODI), said in a column in The Guardian. In his contribution, Shadbolt lists three ways to grow the open data economy.

1. Strengthen our data infrastructure:
   From roads and rail networks to the national grid and power stations, we understand that investment and management of these vital parts of an infrastructure are essential to the economic wellbeing and future prosperity of the nation. This is no less true of key data assets. Our data infrastructure is a core part of our national infrastructure.
2. Support and promote data innovation:
   If we are to make best use of data, we need a bridge between academic research, public, private and third sectors, and a thriving startup ecosystem where new ideas and approaches can grow. A data challenge series run at a larger scale, funded by Innovate UK, openly contested and independently managed, would stimulate the creation of new companies, jobs, products and services.
3. Invest in data literacy:
   In order to take advantage of the data revolution, policymakers, businesses and citizens need to understand how to make use of data. In other words, they must become data literate. Data literacy is needed through our whole educational system and society more generally. Crucially, policymakers are going to need to be informed by insights that can only be gleaned through understanding and analysing data effectively.