PROGRAMME 10

Specify data and digital infrastructure requirements

Although the actions specific to this programme are set for Year 2 and beyond, some work is underway setting up the foundations for the way forward.

Public sector analytical workbench 

We have launched an analytical workbench platform in (initial production version April 2021) to create shared infrastructure to support analysts across the Scottish Public Sector. It has been developed in partnership with the University of Edinburgh to leverage the investment made in the Edinburgh International Data Facility 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 to enable analysts to collaborate on analytical projects across organisational boundaries. The workbench provides easy access to a wide range of common analytical tools and the ability to download open-source toolsets. It has the power needed for complex analysis with large datasets, extensive storage and computing power. 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.   

Scotland’s Data & Intelligence Network 

Alongside the investment in data and technology it’s also vital we build our community and capability to deliver the benefits those investments. One way we are supporting that effort is through Scotland’s Data & Intelligence Network. Originally established to support evidence-based decision making during the response to Covid, Scotland’s Data & Intelligence Network has grown as a community of data experts from the Scottish Public Sector whose membership spans Scottish Government, Local Authorities, Health Boards, Public Health Scotland, Health and Social Care Partnerships, Academia and other public bodies. Our members are analysts, data scientists, statisticians, researchers, and data / digital leaders, with over 200 people regularly attending monthly show and tells. The network brings our members together to build community, knowledge, share good practice and tackle challenges no one organisation can tackle alone. 

It does this in a number of ways: 

• the network develops shared products, tools and model practice such as our data catalogue, ethics workbook, challenge studio and public engagement work 

• it supports collaborative procurement on a “once for Scotland” basis 

• provides support to mobilise projects  

• and fosters community and collaboration, for example, through supporting and nurturing communities of practice such as public health outbreak management; geospatial; data standards and others. 

The strength of the network is in its members and our ability to shape a problem and connect people to the data and the capability required to solve it, as well as ensuring information security and the ethical use of data is central to data and intelligence projects across the network.