Digital and technological change is moving through every aspect of our lives, bringing with it an abundance of data. Location-aware devices and connected sensors – or the Internet of Things(IOT) – are now everywhere, giving rise to a plethora of data, in richer and more complex forms than ever before.
We use location data in all aspects of our lives from real-time travel updates and local weather reports to fuelling location-based search engines.
As many decisions are driven by geographical data, there is more opportunity to see how location intelligence enhances analytics for businesses, governments and other organisations or audiences.
Also known as geographic information, geospatial data or GIS, location data refers to information related to objects or elements present in a geographic space or horizon. It was acknowledged that there is a degree of confusion, within the industry, amongst stakeholders and, particularly, in user sectors, over what GIS/Geospatial means, how it could be used and the benefits it can offer. To address these barriers, a new partnership between Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Government and the Geospatial Commission was launched, Location Data Scotland, that seeks to develop a Geospatial Community in Scotland. This programme is being delivered by the network integrator organisation Optimat.
Location Data Scotland is an inclusive geospatial community across Scotland, established to unlock the value in location data. The network has been created to leverage location data as an enabler of innovation and to create greater efficiency in the products and services delivered and utilised by organisations and the public sector in Scotland. Location Data Scotland aims to connect, inform and facilitate collaboration between industry, academia, public and third sector, across multiple sectors, to drive innovation, unlock skills and enable economic growth.
Skills development
Sharing knowledge and expertise is a key focus of Location Data Scotland. Location Data Scotland engages with academia and organisations such as Codebase to support the development of digital skills. CodeClan will be working closely with Location Data Scotland to help boost the relationship with Scotland’s growing geospatial community to help tackle the skills challenges within the sector.
Get involved
If you’re an organisation or individual working or interested in location data from across any sector or industry, why not join the Location Data Scotland Community. There are many ways to get involved from joining the LinkedIn group or following them on Twitter to contacting them directly via [email protected] for collaboration, talent or identifying new customers.
