o help support autonomous vehicles.
But what if that data was shared more widely, so that both the public and regulators can be sure that every autonomous vehicle has been trained and tested using the best available data?
Achieving this will require organisations to share data rather than seeing it as a proprietary asset. Projects like Berkeley Deep Drive are a step in the right direction, but there is still more to be done.
The large volumes of geospatial data collected by ride-sharing businesses like Uber can be used to fix maps and improve the public record. But this needs to be published under open licenses to help maximise its value. Improving the accuracy of location data for example, can increase safety and navigation for all road users, regardless of their mode of transport.
 Digital twins with real-time data
Roads, buildings, bridges and other features of the built environment are increasingly being fitted with sensors that can be used to provide real time insight into how that infrastructure is performing. The data from these sensors can then be used to create models of how our physical infrastructure is being used.
These “digital twins” can help to manage traffic flows to avoid or react to accidents as they occur, or help to plan maintenance schedules that respond to demands on the infrastructure. Using data for the public good is a key part of the UK’s infrastructure strategy. The same should be true worldwide.
Historical figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that while safety in the workplace has increased in the UK, the trend has plateaued in recent years. To achieve further gains, and to develop insights that can be applied worldwide where the situation is mixed, we need to look at more innovative ways to increase safety. This can mean mining existing accident reports and collecting more data on 'near misses' to derive further insights, much as Volvo is attempting to do with its 40 years of accident data.
In all of the above examples, increasing access to data, while protecting privacy and commercial confidentiality, is essential to delivering a safer environment for us all.
It is time for all types of organisations to invest further in ensuring that we are maximising the value of data available to use, and creating an open, trustworthy data ecosystem.
In future, we will develop a manifesto and will publish recommendations that will help to set a direction for this movement.
 Find out more
 About this article
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