back to article UK needs a 'digital twin' to keep track of its data assets – report

The UK needs high-quality, standardised and more open data to improve its national infrastructure – and companies need to get used to sharing, a report has said. The National Infrastructure Commission, chaired by Andrew Adonis, was tasked with assessing the data the UK holds and how it can make better use of it. The …

  1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    It's a pity they didn't get some boundaries into the title. "Data" is just too vague. They clearly mean data about how some sort of infrastructure is working. But if someone from, say, the NHS picks this up...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Of course what will really happen is that they will buy some "big data" product, gather bucket loads of "stuff", trample over our privacy and end up with such a mess that they can use "data analytics" to justify whatever they dream up.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It's a pity they didn't get some boundaries into the title.

      You'd have thought that as a former journalist, "Lord" Adonis would have been able to sort that out. Or as a former history prof from Oxford, surely he'd be a detail man?

      Then again, what the fuck are this man's qualifications to be chair of the National Infrastructure Commission? I want my infrastructure planned, built and managed by engineers, or people with real world construction programme management experience, not lickspittle arts graduates who have dabbled in journalism before riding into the House of Turds on the coat tails of Blair. I suppose at least Adonis has a PhD, and therefore qualifies as a doctor. Sadly that's doctorate is in the British aristocracy of the late 19th century, which I'm sure qualifies him the be in such a substantive role.

      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        @ Ledswinger

        Enough of this reticence. Tell us what you really think.

      2. SVV

        Blue sky thinking at its' most vague, unfounded in reality

        For crying out loud, this proposal that collecting real time analytical data will enable the optimisation of systems is being pushed as a new and innovative idea? Been done by engineers and scientists long before the first computers ever appeared I'll think you'll find. Plus it won't have much impact anyway, as most network infrastructure seems to be put in on a "sod it, that'll do" or, slightly better, a "that's the best we can manage with x amount of budget" approach. There certainly won't be enough budget left to build in and adminster a load of analytics stuff by a full time team outside of a really big organisation.

        "The commission said that "doing nothing is a big risk".

        When it comes to government IT, it seems like doing anything is quite often a bigger risk. To be fair, I once worked briefly for a boss who thought this too - his approach was that any innovation or change carried a huge risk of things going wrong, so best to keep with the crappy old systems so nobody else around the company heard of any screw ups. (This explains the use of the word "briefly" in the above sentence)

  2. Chris Hills

    *cough* UPRN

    There is so much efficiency to gain by making property UPRN's available for free, but at present you have to pay a large licensing cost.

    1. Trigonoceps occipitalis

      Re: *cough* UPRN

      Yes, why can't I stop thinking that "it must be treated as a fundamental resource that will only provide value if it is properly managed and maintained" really means "it must be treated as a fundamental resource that will only provide government income if it is properly managed, maintained and marketed"?

      Of course "properly managed and maintained" is a triumph of hope over experience.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yaaaawwwnnnn

    cutting train delays and traffic jams through better planned maintenance and repairs through sensor networks, and increasing competition between telcos

    1) Big data, and data sharing won't deliver this.

    2) They've been promising similar shit almost since they stopped promising "electricity too cheap to meter".

    3) And all of the public sector are on this particular IoT/data/drones crap. Like the clowns at Highways England claiming they'll repair potholes faster, or reduce road delays.

    As usual, jam tomorrow promises from people who can't butter bread today.

    1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
  4. Solarflare

    Data for the Public Good

    Is that meant to sound as dystopian as it does?

    1. TonyWilk
      Big Brother

      Data for the Public Good

      It's DoublePlusGood if they say it is.

    2. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      curated by the "evil twin"

  5. Mike 140
    Big Brother

    qui custodet

    But where are these "data" specified in detail

  6. iron Silver badge

    > the tired and overused adage that "data is the new oil" doesn't appear once.

    I have never heard that adage in my life and I've even worked in the oil industry.

    1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      "data is the new oil"

      @iron

      Over in The Telegraph today...

      Data is the new oil, but how do you invest in it?

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/investing/shares/data-new-oil-do-invest/

      And, where there's a buck to be made, there wil also be the Robber Barons

  7. StuntMisanthrope

    A Cluniac of DNS

    A Doppelganger you say, I raise you a split route. #house #itschristmas

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