UBDC’s data service featured in Glasgow Evening Times article

The Urban Big Data Centre’s work with the Glasgow City Region Intelligence Hub has been highlighted in an article on the Glasgow Evening Times website.

The piece published on 24th May - 'Number of jobs lost in Glasgow lower than expected - but 20,000 could go' - showcases research by the hub, which provides a range of economic intelligence-related services to Glasgow City Council and surrounding local authorities. These services include data analysis, policy research, economic modelling, strategy development and project evaluation for the Glasgow City Region and the City Deal. The title of the article relates to a recent analysis by the hub, which shows that the number of jobs lost in Glasgow due to the COVID-19 pandemic could be lower than originally anticipated.

The article also notes that the hub is working with UBDC to assess footfall in the city centre, using mobile phone data from our data service. The hub will use the data to review the Transport Strategy and Open Space Strategy (OSS) for the city and monitor the demand for office space.

In the article, Andrew Robertson, the hub’s manager, commented:

“They’ve procured mobile phone data, that’s allowing us to get insights into how people are moving around in the year prior to Covid, what’s happening during Covid and what’s going to happen in the year after it.

“...We’ll be able to see for the first time, in near to real-time, what’s happening to footfall and where the demand is.”

The full article is available on the Glasgow Evening Times website.