Innovative acquisition, analysis, and visualisation of geodemographic data

Research by the UCL Geospatial Analytics and Computing (GSAC) group advancing the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of consumer data has unlocked the power of consumer ‘Big Data’. GSAC have provided critical evidence to enable the effective use of data to benefit, government, economy and society.

 

Issue

Although a huge potential resource, poor understanding of issues of data provenance, access, control, and ethics limit the use of consumer data in research.

 

Approach

The GSAC group has advanced the core principles and concepts of geospatial data science. In 2014, the UCL division of the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) was established, prompting an upscaling of GSAC’s research capacity.  

Members of the GSAC have developed new approaches to acquire, create, validate, link and maintain nationwide consumer datasets. These have been used to deliver cutting-edge and policy-relevant descriptions of society.

 

Impact

GSAC’s research has supported local government decision-making, for example neighbourhood classifications of social and physical conditions and characteristics, developed in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics. This has informed multiple resource allocations and policy initiatives.

GSAC research developing ethically rigorous ethnicity estimation methods has provided data to government bodies in England and Wales to inform understanding of the relationship between ethnicity and COVID-19 infections and outcomes.

GSAC research has advanced capabilities in data mining, for example the Bike Share Map, which synthesises and visualises global bikeshare systems in real-time. The Bike Share Map was the first online resource to integrate user data to compare c.500 bikeshare systems from around the world, and has had over 1 million page views by more than 258,000 unique users since 1 August 2013. Users include Transport for London, San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency and PBSC Urban Solutions.

The research has improved the effectiveness of sports investment through DataShine Maps. For example, the tool has been used by Birmingham County Football Association to steer investment for pitches and facilities.

DataShine has also been integrated into continuing professional development programmes for secondary school teachers to enhance their teaching by enabling access to national demographic datasets and providing a tool for the integration of GIS and digital mapping into the curriculum.

 

More information

• Read the full impact case study in the REF21 database

Institution: University College London

Researchers: Professor Paul Longley, Professor James Cheshire, Dr Guy Lansley, Oliver O’Brien, Dr Jens Kandt