Data Summit in Edinburgh hears data will ‘unlock brighter future’
Good afternoon and welcome to the Futurescot Newsletter, keeping you up-to-date with news and analysis across the public technology and innovation sector.?
This week we bring you a data special, after the hosting this week of the Data Summit in Edinburgh. Pledging that data offers a 'new hope' for society, the sector was boosted also by a blog from Audit Scotland's Gemma Diamond about the potential for data to drive public service policy and service improvements.
Read those piece in full below and check out our other stories from the week. Don't forget also to register for upcoming Futurescot conferences.
If you have news or a story get in touch on?[email protected] ?or send a tweet or DM to?@futurescot_news, ?and?don't forget to share with colleagues.
DATA
Data Summit in Edinburgh hears data will ‘unlock brighter future’
Data will ‘unlock a brighter future’ if it used ethically and secures public trust, a tech conference heard yesterday in Edinburgh.?Data Summit, the annual event hosted by the The Data Lab, spearheaded the sector’s efforts to offer society a ‘new hope’ post-Covid-19, as 600 delegates at the city’s international conference centre. MORE ?
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DATA
Data is an asset, not a burden, and is key to improving services?
Scotland is facing enormous challenges. Inequality is on the rise, an ageing population is increasing the pressure on health and care services, the cost-of-living crisis is putting a strain on household budgets, while the climate emergency is demanding unprecedented change, says Audit Scotland's Gemma Diamond.?MORE ?
SKILLS
New CodeClan boss vows to ‘scale up’ the digital skills academy
A new chief executive has been appointed to run Scotland’s digital skills academy – vowing to ‘scale up’ the operation.?Loral Quinn has said CodeClan will seek to close the digital skills gap as she looks to expand the nationwide reach of the Edinburgh-headquartered facility. MORE ?
IoT
Stirling to deploy ‘largest social housing IoT rollout in UK’
Stirling is undergoing the largest social housing rollout of internet of things (IoT) technologies in the UK, with 50,000 devices set to revolutionise tenants’ understanding of environmental conditions in homes.?The deployment carried out by home safety tech giant Aico follows a trial across the council region, which has involved remote sensors monitoring temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide (CO2) gas levels.?MORE ?
5G
5G innovation hub launched in Ayrshire
A new 5G innovation hub offering free access to the technology for local companies has opened in Ayrshire.?The S5GConnect Innovation Hub at HALO Kilmarnock will allow businesses to explore how to leverage next generation mobile technology to take advantage of new digital opportunities.?MORE ?
The Scotland 5G Centre announces interim CEO to lead it into ‘next phase’
The national innovation centre for next generation mobile connectivity has announced the appointment of an interim CEO to lead it into its ‘next phase’.?Derek Waddell takes over the reins at The Scotland 5G Centre following the departure of Paul Coffey.?MORE ?
SKILLS
Scottish tech organisations join forces to bridge digital skills gap
Scottish tech organisations are joining forces to try and bridge the digital skills gap. A new partnership has been formed by ScotlandIS, Tech She Can and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Ambassadors to address the issue.?MORE ?
SENSORS
Hand motion sensor tech firm expands Edinburgh base with AI centre of excellence
A global leader in high-precision motion capture technology for the gaming and animation sectors is to invest ￡6.9m in a centre of excellence in AI and spatial computing in Edinburgh. The move will see New Zealand firm StretchSense expand its Edinburgh office as it bids to take a larger presence in the European market and drive global sales and support.?MORE ?
TECH BRIEFING
Public engagement and the digital identity service
During the development of the digital identity service, we have embraced the Scottish Approach to Service Design with people actively taking part in the definition, design and delivery of the digital identity service.?Through many rounds of user research, listening to stakeholders, experts and the public, we have built on the themes first raised within our discovery research to develop the service.?MORE ?
Building Trust in the Digital Era: Achieving Scotland's Aspirations as an Ethical Digital Nation
An Expert group supported by public and stakeholder insights has reviewed evidence and provided recommendations which will support and inform future policy. The report has a focus on building trust with the people of Scotland through engaging them in digital decisions that affect their lives.?MORE ?
PUBLIC SECTOR TECH CONTRACTS
NHS National Services Scotland awards cloud contract to Capgemini
NHS National Services Scotland has awarded a ￡1.8m cloud contract to Capgemini. Details are as follows: 'The Scottish Government’s Digital and Technology Services Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) (lot 1) for the provision of professional services to migrate all of the data and analytical products from the existing on-premises Seer Data Science Platform, into AWS.'?MORE ?
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