Welcome to the weekly Futurescot Newsletter
Keeping you up-to-date with news and analysis across the public technology and innovation sector.
In the news this week, we bring you the story of ScotIand's most senior civil servant advocating for the acceleration of digital public services at scale. JP Marks called for better coordination of digitisation between public agencies at Digital Scotland on Tuesday.
Read our coverage in full below, as well as the rest of our tech stories from the week. . Don't forget to get in touch with your stories at Kevin@futurescot.com or send a tweet or DM to @futurescot_news, and please share with your colleagues.
GOVTECH
We need to find the 'leaps' to better coordinate digital public services
Scotland’s most senior civil servant has called for greater coordination of digital transformation across public services to unlock the benefits to citizens.
JP Marks, permanent secretary to the Scottish Government, said he would like to see more integration of technologies ‘at scale’ across the country to quicken the pace of the digital delivery of public services. MORE▸
AI
NHS Forth Valley wins AI Challenge
An NHS health board has won the first-ever Public Sector AI Challenge, run by Futurescot in partnership with Storm ID.
NHS Forth Valley scooped a £20,000 prize in consultancy services from the Edinburgh-headquartered digital firm – to develop a prototype for using AI to help identify key themes from complaints. MORE▸
Cloud
Guaranteed UK data sovereignty offer
Brightsolid is offering guaranteed UK data sovereignty with the launch of a new cloud service which will also benchmark performance and be 100 per cent renewables powered. MORE▸
Digital Scotland 2024 - Thank you!
To all delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and the many hundreds of people who worked to make this year's conference a success, we are truly grateful!
LOCALGOV
Glasgow’s Digital Strategy puts citizens’ rights at its core
Two years ago, civic leaders in Glasgow set out a plan to solve some of the “grand challenges” facing the city. Spanning four overarching themes, and 230 commitments, the strategic plan, which runs from 2022 to 2027, aimed to tackle poverty and inequality, raise prosperity, fight the climate emergency and deliver services more innovatively and efficiently. MORE▸
CodeBase partners with two Scottish councils on AI
CodeBase – the largest technology incubator in the UK, with its headquarters in Edinburgh – is partnering with two Scottish councils on an ‘AI Navigator’ programme for local firms. The technology ecosystem specialist will work with Aberdeen City Council and Scottish Borders Council on a scheme to help small business leaders use AI to improve productivity, reduce costs, and make data-driven decisions. MORE▸
GOVTECH
Building a strong digital culture
“Describe the difference between public and private sector organisations.” Type that into a generative AI app and in less time than it takes to read this sentence, you’ve been presented with a list of adjectives.
Under “private sector”, the AI software includes: dynamic, innovative, agile, and performance-orientated. By contrast, for “public sector” it lists: traditional, bureaucratic, stable, as well and feelgood terms such as inclusive and community focussed. [Partner Content]. MORE▸
CYBER
Boost for NHS 'security operations centre'
Systal – the Glasgow-headquartered managed network, security and cloud transformation specialist – has been chosen to be the delivery partner for NHS National Services Scotland’s security operations centre (SOC). The technology company, which operates in 93 countries, will help ‘increase the capacity and capability’ of NHS NSS’s security operations centre in Dundee. MORE▸
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CONNECTIVITY
Connections count as network grows
Alan Lees has been on his travels, meeting and listening to customers across Scotland. Having signed the contract for the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) last year, it’s an increasingly busy job. BT is responsible for connecting GPs, pharmacies, hospitals, schools and council sites, providing the digital backbone for Scotland’s public services – a task that the company is highly committed to doing. [Partner Content]. MORE▸
JUSTICE
Are Scotland’s criminals ready for AI?
In recent months, Police Scotland has signalled its willingness to start exploring the use of controversial live facial recognition (LFR) technology. Software powered by artificial intelligence (AI), coupled with cameras deployed in public spaces – using algorithms to match the faces of known criminals on databases – has the potential to greatly assist officers on the ground in the real-time detection and prevention of crime. [Partner Content]. MORE▸
HEALTH
How tech can prompt medical insights
Digital voice recording and transcription technologies are advancing at a rapid rate. Services that can accurately record voice conversations – whether in person, phone or internet-enabled – have improved from low levels of accuracy just a few years ago, to well over 80 per cent now. [Partner Content] MORE▸
CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
Futurescot's drive for better outcomes: optimising Microsoft licensing together
A new Futurescot campaign, in partnership with Brightsolid, is set to bring to light the often-overlooked complexities of Microsoft licensing and the significant financial opportunities hidden within proper management and optimisation. This initiative seeks to raise awareness among public sector and corporate leaders in Scotland about the potential cost savings and operational benefits they can achieve by understanding and addressing their Microsoft licensing structures.
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BRIEFINGS
Data-supported placemaking proven effective in Scottish government report
The Scottish government published the report in collaboration with the Scottish Futures Trust and Ramboll. Architecture and Design Scotland also supported it. The initiative aimed to give leadership and expertise in data-supported placemaking, including geographic information systems, 3D visualisation techniques, digital twins, and artificial intelligence, in order to address challenges in place-based infrastructure. MORE▸
Satellite communications to improve connectivity in remote areas
The UK Space Agency is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) telecommunications research programme to help close the digital divide. In two specific rural and remote islands in Shetland and Northern Ireland, two other projects will test innovative hybrid networks to see if they could be used to support further locations unable to connect to traditional networks. MORE▸
Iona enters digital age with full fibre
As part of the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% (R100) programme, set up to use “engineering innovations” to transmit fibre signals over long distances, the UK’s leading broadband provider, Openreach, has been engaged to build a full-fibre network on the historic island of Iona. MORE▸
PUBLIC SECTOR IT CONTRACTS
NHS Lanarkshire explores use of General Practice Digital Asynchronous Consultation System
NHS Lanarkshire (“NHSL”), one of Scotland’s fourteen territorial health boards, is considering procuring a Digital Asynchronous Consultation System (DACS) Platform for General Practice (“GP DACS”).GP DACS refers to online tools that support clinical triage, remote consultation, and communication where the healthcare provider and patient do not need to be present simultaneously. MORE▸
Housing and Finance Integrated System for North Glasgow Housing Association
North Glasgow Housing Association has awarded a £675,000 contract to Milton Keynes-based HomeMaster for an integrated housing and finance management software as a service (SaaS) solution. MORE▸
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