Greater Manchester’s strengths in emerging technologies to be uncovered through data science

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Creative, Digital & Technology

Greater Manchester will become the first city region in the UK to use groundbreaking new data science to comprehensively map its technology sector and identify strengths in emerging technologies.

Following a rigorous tender process, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency, have jointly commissioned The Data City, a data science and software company, to undertake an extensive research project that will benchmark the city’s emerging technology capabilities against other UK regions.

The Data City will use its unique set of tools to analyse open data, licensed data, data from the web, and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide real-time insights into the sector via an innovative, purpose-built online platform.

Building upon the statistical analysis, The Data City will also identify companies most able to benefit from Manchester’s unique strengths and assets, which will assist MIDAS in attracting more investment to the city region.

Paul Connell, Co-Founder of The Data City, said: “As well as allowing us to draw on a much wider range of information, our unique process applies sophisticated analyses based on keyword criteria and removes the expensive and time-consuming data collection stage.

“It speeds up report generation and allows us to share not only the immediate, but also constantly updated and openly published data, which can be freely accessed and used to make and evaluate decisions on an ongoing basis.

“The platform will provide definitive economic insights and we believe we can drive economic growth in the UK by providing data-based evidence for decisions, which can help businesses expand, accurately identify priority areas for investment, and inform economic policy.

Tim Newns, CEO of MIDAS, said: “Greater Manchester has been at the forefront of innovation for more than 250 years, and this project will help the city region retain that position as the growing use of emerging technologies transforms the way we live and work.

“The application of these emerging technologies, such as blockchain, AI, and robotics - to name a few, will significantly disrupt traditional business models, providing a wealth of opportunities and challenges across all of Greater Manchester’s key sectors; including health, business and financial services, and advanced manufacturing – as well as the tech sector itself. Through this project, we will be able to stay one step ahead and develop a greater understanding of the role Manchester continues to play in the digital revolution.

“With the help of The Data City, we will be able to showcase the success Greater Manchester has already achieved within the digital sector, while encouraging additional investment into the city region and further raising Greater Manchester’s profile as a world-leading digital city.”