Geospatial Commission: Board of Commissioners meeting, 21 July 2020
Published 24 September 2020
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Geospatial Commission: Board of Commissioners meeting, 21 July 2020
Commissioners
Sir Andrew Dilnot (Chair)
Nigel Clifford (Deputy Chair)
Thalia Baldwin
Dame Kate Barker
Steve Blair
Kru Desai
Edwina Dunn OBE
Michael Mire
Steve Unger
Commission Unit
Maria Christodoulou
Jamie Clark
Joe Cuddeford
Rosalind Goodfellow
Owen Jackson
Amelia Napier
Bomi Okuyiga
Heath Pritchard
Wotey Tannoh
Catherine Young
Kevin Yue
Observers
Glyn Jones (Welsh Government)
Albert King (Scottish Government)
Jim Lennon (Northern Ireland Executive)
External Speakers
Tom Smith, ONS
1. Minutes and matters arising
1.1. The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and approved for publication.
1.2. No other matters were noted.
2. Report from the nominated Commissioners
2.1. Steve Blair and Michael Mire provided an update from the Partner Bodies, in their capacity as Nominated Commissioners. Partner Bodies feedback on the papers was noted, and comments were made specifically on paper 1 about the Market Study, which was discussed in more detail during agenda item 4.
3. Report from the Director of the Commission
3.1. Thalia Baldwin provided a report from the Geospatial Commission Unit, in her capacity as Director. Thalia confirmed that the Commission continues to make good progress on a number of different outputs since the Board last met, including the publication of the UK Geospatial Strategy and the publication of the update on our National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) Pilots. Thalia also noted continued work with Geo6 on the Data Improvement Programme and the OS delivery of Open MasterMap commitments as part of the PSGA Agreement.
4. Mission 1: Geospatial Data Market Study: Update and Next Steps
4.1. Bomi and Kevin updated the Board on the draft outputs from the Market Study being carried out with Frontier Economics, detailing the initial findings and the evidence that supports them.
4.2. The Board was encouraged to see how the draft findings of the Market Study are progressing, and look forward to seeing the final version of the report. Thalia noted the priorities that the team is focused on to finalise this work. In particular, how the evidence from the study will be used to develop recommendations for policy interventions to support growth, competition and innovation in the market, as set out in the UK Geospatial Strategy.
4.3. The Board noted that the evidence will focus on how the market is currently functioning, and encouraged the team to make observations within the report about how the market could evolve in future.
4.4. The Commission is planning separate follow-up conversations with the Independent Commissioners, in order to discuss specific points in more detail.
5. Mission 2: NUAR Data Sharing Framework
5.1. Owen and Heath provided the Board with a brief update on the NUAR Programme. Following the successful completion of the NUAR pilots, work is now underway to lay the groundwork for a national rollout of NUAR. This includes taking early action to de-risk future phases of delivery.
5.2. The Board acknowledged complexities in relation to timings, engagement and the legal and contractual framework which will underpin the platform but also the significant benefits NUAR will deliver to asset owners and wider society. They agreed with the team’s approach, suggesting key stakeholders who would be able to provide valuable input. The Board acknowledged the need to secure long term funding to ensure the programme delivers at pace.
6. Mission 4: Innovation – Discussion with Tom Smith, Director, Data Science Campus ONS
6.2. Tom Smith gave a presentation on the work underway in the ONS Data Science Campus that utilizes key geospatial data, focusing on support for the government’s response to COVID-19. Tom noted that the work has had significant cross-government input and interest, including shining a light on the use of geospatial data to support policy making.
6.3. The Board appreciated the opportunity to develop their understanding of how geospatial data is being used for statistical purposes, and welcomed a continued close working relationship between the ONS and its Data Science Campus and the Geospatial Commission.
7. Mission 2: Data Public Sector Access to Earth Observation (EO) Data
7.1. Amelia presented an options paper on potential approaches to improving public sector access to earth observation data. The approach has been developed following engagement with a broad range of public sector stakeholders, including Defra, MoD and the UK Space Agency on both public sector requirements and the operation of the existing market.
7.2. The Board was interested in further understanding current market dynamics between public and private sector funded activities. The board also highlighted the importance of considering and supporting innovation across the full range of activities from capture to application.
8. Any other business
8.1. The Board agreed that structuring the meetings around the missions of the National Strategy was beneficial.
8.2. The next meeting of the Board of Commissioners will take place on Tuesday 22nd September 2020.