Today, we are pleased to announce the longlist of proposals for the third edition of the Civil Service Data Challenge! The competition challenges civil servants to produce the best ideas to improve data use across government and is a collaboration between Cabinet Office, Global Government Forum, NTT DATA and the Office for National Statistics.
After receiving some fantastic proposals in previous years, the Data Challenge has returned this year with aim of continuing to improve how the civil service uses data. Project Heyrick, the winner in 2023, analysed data across the Civil Service to identify and tackle modern slavery, while the winning project from 2022 made strides to protect the UK’s peatlands using innovative Generative Adversarial Networks.
Among potential ideas for implementation this year are proposals suggesting the use of generative AI, geospatial optimisation, natural language processing and IoT data collection. The eight ideas that form the longlist for the semi-finals of the Civil Service Data Challenge 2024 are:
- NHS Geospatial Planning Tool – using open-source software and publicly accessible datasets to support NHS workers in planning visits to patients’ homes, reducing emissions through optimised travel planning and promoting high quality care.
- DWP Training Tender Evaluation – applying generative AI technologies to summarise, score, and compare supplier bids in a faster manner, with the right controls in place.
- Streamlining the NHS-DWP Death Data Exchange – reducing the latency for data sharing between the NHS and DWP to reduce the burden on bereaved citizens, the duplication of workloads across the civil service and overpayment of benefits.
- Border Control Queue Optimisation – merging datasets to reduce passenger queue times and better manage operational resources at border control in airports.
- Policy Summarisation with Gen AI – introducing generative AI to revolutionise how government departments create policy documents and policy summaries, enabling efficient roll-out of policy and equipping staff with the right tools.
- Unlocking Unstructured Prison Data – applying advanced data analytics to incident and case notes, uncovering new insights that will enhance the management and safety of prisons.
- Optimising Prison Space Management – using algorithms and analytics to create a solution that predicts when and where prison spaces will become available to make better use of the current estate.
- Accurate Electrical Vehicle Usage Distribution Mapping – gathering better data on the geographical usage of EVs to drive more targeted investment into local-level EV charging infrastructure and support the uptake of EVs across the country.
This year, the Civil Service Data Challenge is being sponsored by Alex Chisholm, Chief Operating Officer at the Civil Service, and Megan Lee Devlin, Chief Executive, Central Digital & Data Office alongside a panel of judges, who bring both advanced digital and data skills, and influence across government.
Minister Alex Burghart, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office commented: "I am delighted to support the Civil Service Data Challenge, which allows us to use its ideas to drive efficiency, improve public services and help tackle some of the most pressing challenges in our society, and over the past two years we are already seeing tangible benefits delivered to the public."
Vicki Chauhan, Head of Public Sector at NTT DATA UK&I, commented: “The success of the Civil Service Data Challenge is a testament to the civil servants themselves who put forward the best and brightest ideas, as well as the team members and mentors who invest the time and energy into developing the ideas. The creativity and innovation on show this year has been truly outstanding and it’s been very difficult for all the judges to decide on this longlist. We are very much looking forward to seeing how these proposals are developed in the coming months and wish all our teams the best for the semi-finals!”
To find out more about the Civil Service Data Challenge and the longlist of ideas, go to: https://www.datachallenge.uk/