Northumbrian launches sector’s first open data strategy

Northumbrian Water has become the first water company to publish an open data strategy after Ofwat decreed all companies must open up data sets.

Northumbrian’s strategy aims to make a wide range of useful data sets available, together with contextual information to help others use and interpret the data as easily as possible.

“The industry needs to form new collaborations to find new solutions to best support our customers,” said chief executive Heidi Mottram. “We believe that open data has a big role to play in helping us to tackle these issues. We will continue to be brave, working with Ofwat to push forward with open data as a strategic priority and unlocking value for our business, for our customers and for our environment.”

The regulator recently said a licence condition would be added to ensure compliance. However, Northumbrian told Utility Week its move to share data was a natural step in the company’s innovation ethos.

“It’s in our DNA,” said Mellissa Tallack, head of intelligence & analytics at Northumbrian, as well as co-author of its strategy. “We have a long track record of being open, so the strategy consolidates what we have already been doing.”

She said the company and wider sector has benefited from common data through its Innovation Festivals. “Challenges do not exist in a bubble, water pollution is not just a water sector challenge,” Tallack said as an example of why collaboration enabled through an open data policy would be beneficial across society.

The ethos will be to “publish with purpose”, Tallack said, with assistance for members of the public, citizen scientists, other organisations or sectors to use and interpret information. Therefore data will be supported by a user function to understand the data sets.

Companies received criticism after publishing live information on combined sewer overflows (CSOs), which Tallack said should not deter firms from opening up data. She said: “Yes, there is fear of misinterpreting data, but that should not be a barrier to sharing data.”

At present, there is a lack of commonality to sharing data across the sector and no established standards for what information is provided or how it is presented.

Tallack said opportunities to collaborate within and outside of the sector to solve and improve common and cross-sector problems will be more available through open data.

During data hacks at Northumbrian’s annual Innovation Festivals, teams have analysed reams of data to expose novel ways of dealing with challenges such as leakage, pollution and supply interruptions. A national success from an early Innovation Festival is the National Underground Asset Register (NAUR), which was brought to life through collaboration with telecoms, gas and energy companies.

The industry’s approach to data has shifted since the 2014 price review, which Tallack said heralded a step change in conversations around data being used for investment decision. “That was a tipping point for data-led investment and important decision making. It’s gone from strength to strength.”

At this year’s Utility Week Live, Tallack noted that conversations had progressed again to how to solve challenges using data instead of hard engineering, as well as how better data can inform demand reduction strategies to help customers use less.