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Beyond the Query: Transforming Environmental Data Discovery with LLMs

David Topping By Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Research and development, Science and Technology Posted:

Environmental problems are complex, evolving issues that defy straightforward solutions. These challenges demand integrated data, yet current environmental data is scattered and hard to access. Artificial intelligence (AI), alongside strong metadata frameworks, is emerging as a powerful tool for breaking down barriers to data discovery. Here Professor David Topping outlines the importance of access to […]

Responsible technologies: embedding mental wellbeing in design

Headshot of Pawan Srikanth By and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care Posted:

Emerging technologies – from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data to digital platforms, and driverless vehicles – are transforming everyday life in the UK. These innovations promise significant benefits: improving efficiency, reducing resource use, and enabling new jobs and services. Yet alongside their promise, these technologies bring new challenges. Concerns are rising about data privacy, […]

Large data computer

Too hot to ignore: fixing the infrastructure gap in data centre cooling

Dlzar Al Kez headshotAoife Foley headshot By and Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

Data centres are rapidly becoming one of the most energy- and water-intensive components of the digital economy, yet their cooling systems remain largely invisible in infrastructure and climate policy. While advanced cooling technologies can significantly reduce energy and resource use, the UK lacks a national framework to guide their adoption or measure their environmental impact. […]

Birds-eye-view of a motorway with travelling cars

A future for autonomous vehicles in the UK? Lessons from the US

By Filed Under: Digital Futures, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, Urban Posted:

One of the final bills passed by the outgoing Sunak government was the Automated Vehicles Act (2024), designed to make provisions for the possible rollout of autonomous vehicles in the future. If the new Starmer government is to continue this work, then lessons need to be learnt from the US, where the deployment of autonomous […]

Aerial view of UK house development being built.

Harnessing Digital Solutions for Sustainable Housing Expansion: A GIS-Powered Approach

Photo of Richard Kingston By Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Environment Posted:

The UK government has committed to an ambitious housing strategy of building 1.5 million homes over the next five years to address the chronic housing shortage exacerbated by rising demand, affordability and population growth. This plan must also rectify long-term structural challenges in the housing market whilst ensuring homes are built sustainably. Here, Professor Richard Kingston […]

Article image - Woman monitors dark office

A raised platform – regulating the digital economy

Luke Yates author image By Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, UK economy, Urban Posted:

Digital economy businesses have grown rapidly in the last 10-15 years, transforming how we work, travel, consume, and contract workers. Some impacts have been problematic, with growth of short-term lettings platforms reducing access to housing, and gig economy platforms increasing the precariousness of work. In this article, Dr Luke Yates outlines research findings on how […]

two adults standing at the edge of a flooded road in UK countryside.

Climate Just: supporting equitable responses to climate change through social vulnerability maps

Headshot of Professor Sarah Lindley By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Environment Posted:

Historical carbon emissions are already locked into the climate system. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that associated impacts now persist, through extreme weather, climate-related events like floods and wildfires, or longer-term changes to the environment and biosphere. We must give urgent attention to tackling current and future emissions, but it is also vital to ensure […]

Can we upskill the health and social care workforce to meet the growing demand for digital transformation?

Dr Alan Davies headshot photoProfessor Angela Davies By and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:

There has been growing interest regarding the potential of digital transformation to aid the UK’s health and social care system in its ambition to meet modern demands placed upon it. But what skills do different employees in this sector need – and is the infrastructure in place to support them? Here, Dr Alan Davies and […]

Planning ahead: A multi-sector approach to net zero

Mathaios Panteli By , and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Inclusive Growth, Renewables, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

With climate change increasing some resources’ uncertainty – and global development making others scarcer and more interdependent – society requires improved planning and policy frameworks to deliver a secure, equitable and resilient transformation to net zero. In this article from our publication On Resilience, Professor Julien Harou, Dr Eduardo A. Martínez Ceseña and Professor Mathaios Panteli explore how […]

AUTOMATED VEHICLES ARTICLE IMAGE

Artificial Intelligence and future transport and mobility: What do cities want and how can urban planning respond?

By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Inclusive Growth, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, Urban Posted:

Experts agree that automated driving technologies constitute perhaps the most significant transformation in urban and transport planning since the invention of the private motor vehicle. In this article, Dr Ransford A. Acheampong assesses how policy-makers have an urgent responsibility to create alternative urban futures in which we are able to meet our everyday mobility needs […]

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