Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 27TH APRIL - 3RD MAY 2018 | 19 to dig a tunnel under the town that's 2.8m in diameter – big enough to drive a small van through. It is laying two 5.5km mains, one to take water out to new developments around the town and the other to form the start of a new inlet main which will eventually bring more water to Newark from the South. If you have an asset or project you would like to see featured in this slot, email: paulnewton@fav-house.com Pipe up Jon Robertson "To remain competitive in a global economy, our major cities must focus on stimulating demand and the clustering of data capability in their centres. National government can lead by creating the right conditions to support the supply of skills, but traditional organisa- tions must fulfil demand by including enhanced data capability in their growth strategies and by recruiting new data teams in our cities. The data team, whatever they do, we just let them get on with it." I've heard a variant of this statement a few times recently. It denotes a vague understanding and under- appreciation of the outcomes that good data capability brings to our organisations, whether that be improving customer experience, reducing risk, improving profit- ability or an operating surplus. The first challenge for any traditional organisation dragging themselves forward into modernity is to reach that pivotal moment where the pin drops and the value of data is understood. Simply put, data capability is an enabler of all of the cool stuff that is so overhyped right now by industry and govern- ment, the stuff that private investors and governments are throwing money at to grow the technologies of the future. Blockchain, machine learning, AI? Data. Improved customer experience, personalised services, reduced risk and higher returns on investment? Data. And the people you're going to look to in order to help you harness data to achieve positive outcomes? Well, they'll be forming your new data science team. What is the difference between business intelli- gence and data science? A business intelligence team is traditionally a reporting team in your organisation. It'll have access to your key databases, provide you with periodic reports on how your lines of business are doing; monthly, quarterly, annually. Every once in a while, it might get freed up for a few days to help with a special assignment and do something more creative. On the other hand, a data science team is focused on project delivery. It brings you and your customers active value, rather than acting as a passive reporting function. It applies the latest techniques in computer science, statistics, mathematics and creative storytelling to your organisation. It works with other data scientists around the world to bring in the latest knowledge, soware and data. It comes with existing domain knowledge or is keen to learn how your business works. Jon Robertson, data and digital projects lead, Future Cities Catapult "Data capability is an enabler of all of the cool stuff that is so overhyped right now by industry and government." A data science team is focused on project delivery – it brings you and your customers active value Operations & Assets

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