PROGRAMME 10

SPECIFY DATA AND DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS

Strategy Actions

2.13 Specify data and wider digital infrastructure requirements 

2.14 Scale the development of data platforms to meet the needs of the public sector, academic and third sector analysts (led by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership) 

Year 2 Progress

Data Intelligence Network

Throughout the year the Data Intelligence Network (DIN) has continued to facilitate knowledge-sharing and collaboration between data users across the public sector, building a strong community of people and organisations. 

DIN staff have been heavily involved in the design and delivery of systems and services in response to the war in Ukraine, with some team members reallocated on a permanent basis. As a result, there has been limited capacity to expand the DIN’s work with a range of communities of practice. Following the introduction of the Digital Transformation Programme alongside other work to facilitate best practice in data use, such as the Scottish AI Register, DIN team members have been redeployed to help deliver the Analytical Workbench programme and revise and support the Scottish Government’s Data Platforms infrastructure. 

The Scottish Government is currently considering alternative models to fulfil the unique role that the DIN has had in bringing together data practitioners and experts, and facilitating knowledge brokering and sharing in the data space to foster innovation. 

Public Sector Analytical Workbench

Throughout the last year we have continued to develop the analytical workbench (AWB) platform. We anticipate the full production version of the AWB to be available to users by the end of Spring 2023. Built in the Edinburgh International Data Facility (EIDF), the AWB is creating a capability for the public sector that allows rapid adoption and development of new technologies, access to high-performance compute and the ability to collaborate across organisational boundaries to share resources, code, and ideas. 

The AWB has been developed in partnership with the University of Edinburgh to leverage the investment made in the EIDF through the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal. The project is part of the SPACe (Scottish Public Sector Analytical Collaborative) Programme, which consists of representatives from Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland, National Records of Scotland, and Registers of Scotland.     

The workbench is a safe, secure, permission-controlled environment that enables analysts to collaborate on data projects across organisational boundaries. The workbench provides easy access to a wide range of common, open-source analytical tools and the platform has the power needed for complex analysis with large datasets. The project has delivered virtual machines suitable for use with differing types of data, a choice of operating systems, easy to use mechanisms to get data securely in and out of the workbench and it also provides facilities for hosting interactive content.    

Green Datacentres

In March 2021, the Scottish Government launched the Green Datacentres and Digital Connectivity Vision and Action Plan. The Plan seeks to improve Scotland’s global competitiveness, digital resilience and investor attractiveness around the opportunity for sustainable, green datacentres and international digital connectivity. Through co-ordinated action, the document aims to position Scotland as a leading zero-carbon, cost competitive green data hosting location, which can contribute towards our ambition of achieving net zero emissions by 2045. 

To this end, the Scottish Government is working closely with Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Futures Trust and other public sector partners, to develop a cluster-strengthening proposition for the Scottish datacentre and international subsea fibre industries. The cluster activity will scope, develop, deliver and evaluate a suite of interventions designed to build, strengthen and exploit Scotland’s growing datacentre cluster. A core focus is expected to be around greening data; capitalising upon Scotland’s substantial renewable energy generating capacity, strong digital and manufacturing ecosystems and company relationships to develop a green data hosting proposition.  

This will involve working with data-intense and mature sectors, including exploring the synergies and opportunities that exist in relation to AI.