Over the past year we’ve been working with the Geospatial Commission on Land Use Dialogues, as part of their National Land Data Programme (NLDP). The programme has seen the Geospatial Commission bring together a wide range of evidence and analysis from regional pilots in Devon, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Newcastle, and Northern Ireland, and the Dialogues programme, the conclusions of which are now available in their concluding report, Finding Common Ground.
The pilots explored how data analysis and modelling could support local decision making, for example how AI techniques could be utilised to test change scenarios. Academics also provided insights into existing data visualisation tools for decisions on energy security, housing, and water security. The findings for each of the themes can be found on the Land Use Dialogues website: energy security, housing and water security.
This work has resulted in the publication of the Finding Common Ground report, which sets out how better data can be used to drive land-use decisions that encourage growth, while also protecting the environment, adapting to climate change and achieving net zero emissions. The report considers these opportunities across six sectors: energy, housing, biodiversity, food, water and transport. The report provides several recommendations including:
- To establish a Land Use Analysis Taskforce to bring together cutting edge data and scientific expertise to assess competing land use pressures, ensuring national priorities are delivered within the land available in the UK
- To champion market innovations that help visualise and deliver how we can achieve better land use decisions
- To strengthen the links between land use policy design, academic research and industry practice
- And to develop a standard approach to classifying key land use data to improve how we can link data about land
If you would like to read the Finding Common Ground report in full, the publication can be found here.
