Our Vision

Collaboration, Scottish context and Knowledge exchangesit is the heart of our research network.

Collaboration

Fostering a multidisciplinary network of constituents from various sectors underpins this project and is a principal objective. “Life in Data” addresses the confluence of creative innovation, education, governance, and civic competences around data-driven practices, exploring data literacy and potential development of educational strategies and creative innovation.

We identify five sectors advancing a data literacy agenda: local authorities, voluntary/third sector, creative industries, schools, and civic society.

The network includes representation from each sector, and we will concentrate our efforts in three areas: data literacy, creative innovation and data-driven civic society. These will be the focus of each key event, in sum, geared towards the formation of coherent policy recommendations.

Scottish context

Scotland has a devolved data management policy, enabling the Scottish Parliament to generate and disclose data which signals distinctive Scottish issues. Through the SCA, seven Scottish cities are bidding for European funds to become smart cities. In 2015 Keith Brown, the Scottish Infrastructure, Investment and Cities Secretary, announced that the SCA had secured a £10 million European fund to make Scotland's cities ``smarter`` through new cutting-edge technological infrastructure.

The development of systems, policies and competences in relation to data infrastructures is a priority within the strategic planning of the seven Scottish cities forming the alliance.

Data awareness and literacy are fundamental ideals for the well-being of Scottish citizens. Our network addresses debates around inequalities, disengagement, and disempowerment produced by limited data awareness. It is not only the databases that should be democratised, but also the tools and the knowledge to make sense of them, as the Chicago and Helsinki cases have shown.

Knowledge exchange

We are informed by Dr Borges-Rey’s research on the materiality of data generation and use (2013-2016), and Dr Singh’s work on the psychosocial aspects of always-on media culture, the adequacy of current data literacy, and its implications for knowledge-building and participation (2016, and forthcoming). Dr Costa’s research on digital curricula (2014, 2015) explores web-based literacies in the curriculum for the digital knowledge economy. Dr Lido and Professor Osborne’s expertise in urban datasets, social psychology and lifelong learning will inform our ambition to be fully-conversant with social sciences, social policy, and education studies, as well as Arts and Humanities.

Young Scot, GTCS, and SCVO will bring young people, school teachers, secondary education professionals and lifelong learning practitioners, to deliberate different strategies and practices to enhance data literacy and awareness in Scottish schools and centres promoting lifelong learning. SCA representatives from seven Scottish city authorities will discuss public sector initiatives on access, openness, transparency, and data efficiency in local governance.

Entrepreneurs, non-profit organisations and industry stakeholders will engage withThe Data Lab, SCVO, and Young Scot. Facilitated throughthe involvement of CoderDojoStirling Lead Mentor, Dr Greg Huczynski in co-production events, and through dissemination via our “storification” strand; featuring materials generated by participants, some of which will contribute to an Open Data Exhibition.