In July 2020, we were commissioned by the Geospatial Commission to support their work delivering on commitments made in the National Geospatial Strategy. They wanted to identify and develop academic networks which could guide their policy work, and gain a clear understanding of relevant academic perspectives and research on three key themes: the ethical use of geospatial data, the potential benefits of improved land use data, and potential use cases of geospatial data in relation to transport and mobility.
Over the course of four months we worked closely with the Commission to deliver three reports, based on 53 expert interviews and a survey of relevant research in the area. On the ethical use of geospatial data, we investigated the unique concerns which geospatial data raises in terms of effective anonymisation. With respect to land use, we focused on the potential uses for facilitating innovative mixed-use land projects. And for transport, we developed six detailed case studies to illustrate the opportunities and challenges linked to the use of geospatial data in six areas of application.
