Government contracts should include clauses to make any relevant location data available for appropriate re-use, according to a new report from the Geospatial Commission.
It has made the recommendation as one of six within its new Enhancing the UK’s Geospatial Ecosystem report, which is based on an independent research study by Frontier Economics and marks a step on from the publication earlier this year of the UK Geospatial Strategy.
The new report focuses on nurturing the UK geospatial economy, partly through the availability of location data that is held by the public sector.
It highlights three themes with two recommendations each. Under the heading of driving the adoption of location data it says the Government Commercial Function should embed provisions within the appropriate contracts and spend approvals to require location data to be retained and made available for re-use by government.
This would apply to data generated directly or as a by-product of the provision of other goods or services.
Along with this the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy should further incorporate a location data capability as an essential component of its programmes for increasing growth, innovation and productivity in the economy.
Public good factor
Another theme is to improve access to location data with a strong consideration of the public good. As part of this, the Geospatial Commission will include the objective that ‘data holders consider the public good in decisions about access to location data’ in its forthcoming guidelines for measuring the value of the data, and for its ethical use in public and private sectors.
This comes with a recommendation that competition regulators, including a future Digital Markets Unit, should consider the potential public good from the sharing and re-use of location data when developing their regulatory approach.
The third theme is on maintaining public trust in how location data is used, with the need for an informed public debate on its benefits and the potential risks to privacy.
It includes recommendations that the commission should lead the discourse, and that the Information Commissioner’s Office should provide further clarity on the distinction between personal and non-personal location data.
The commission's position within the Cabinet Office as the UK Government's lead on location data policy indicates that there is a significant possibility of the recommendations being put into effect.
Sir Andrew Dilnot, Geospatial Commission chair (pictured), said: “Data about location is increasingly valuable to businesses throughout the UK economy, and it is important that the right conditions are in place to support its efficient access, trusted use and swift adoption.
“The Geospatial Commission has outlined key recommendations and actions, and looks forward to working with key partners across the public sector to ensure that these conditions are enabled.”
