Digital

  • What is data.gov.scot and why are we doing it?

    3rd June 2026 by

    This blog post has been written by the Open Data team in the Data Division of the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate. We are building data.gov.scot, a new service to make it easier to find, access and reuse Scotland’s data. This is the first in a series of blog posts which we’ll be releasing over the…

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  • Improving data access for ethical research and innovation

    23rd March 2026 by

    Blog post by Chris Bergin, Strategic Data Policy Adviser, in the Scottish Government’s Digital Citizen Division.   Today marks the publication of an Operational Framework  to support the secure and ethical use of public sector data, by Scotland’s innovators and researchers.   Scotland’s public sector personal data is a rich resource, that if used in…

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  • Help shape Scotland’s Open Data future – Imagining success in 2036

    17th February 2026 by

    I’m Martin Macfie, and I lead the Open Data team in the Data Division of the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate. We’re inviting you to take part in a short workshop to help shape a bold, future-focused message for open data in Scotland. What we’ve been working on Since publishing the independent report on open data…

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  • Enabling faster, secure access to data by industry for public benefit

    22nd January 2026 by

    Guest blog post by Roger Halliday, Chief Executive, Research Data Scotland (RDS), on how RDS is developing a framework to support faster, secure access to Scotland’s public sector data by industry partners, on behalf of the Scottish Government. This guest blog is part of a series on the Unlocking the Value of Data programme. At…

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  • Making It Happen: Scotland’s Vision for Public Sector Data

    26th August 2025 by

    Blog by Joyce Dalgleish, Data Innovation and Change Lead, Scottish Government. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 months since we shared the draft of the vision for public sector data. Since then, we’ve been genuinely heartened by how many of you have leaned in—giving your time, sharing your experiences, joining groups, and contributing ideas. Your…

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  • Scottish Government Data Maturity Programme – Information session

    7th May 2025 by

    Blog by Sally Kerr, Data Transformation Lead, Technical Data Policy team. With the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), data maturity has become even more important, and becoming data-ready for AI is one of the key drivers for those organisations who choose to take part in the Scottish Government Data Maturity Programme. To become data-ready…

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  • Increasing the accuracy of identification of genetic test results

    16th April 2025 by

    Blog post by Laura Naismith, Data Management Officer, Public Health Scotland. The Data Science and Innovation Accelerator is a programme for public sector organisations in Scotland that supports the innovative use of data to solve business problems or discover new opportunities. In her blog, Laura Naismith, Data Management Officer in Public Health Scotland discusses her…

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  • A shared destiny for public sector data

    18th October 2024 by

    Blog post by Shona Nicol, Head of Technical Data Policy, Data Division, Digital Directorate. As a data professional, it can sometime feel hard to get others interested in data. Perhaps like many in this profession, I can often express the importance and value of data for good in an overly technical way. However when our…

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  • Next-Generation Metadata Catalogue: Revolutionising Data Discovery in the Scottish Public Sector

    3rd September 2024 by

    Blog by Masood Alam, Chief Data Architect, and Catherine Ojo, Lead Data Scientist, from the Scottish Government’s Data Division. In a time when data drives decision-making, the Scottish public sector is making a significant move with the prospective development of a state-of-the-art Federated Data Catalogue and Metadata Repository, using machine learning & graph analytics. This…

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  • Open Data in Scotland : A Blueprint for Unlocking Innovation, Collaboration and Impact

    29th August 2024 by

    This blog has been written by Martin Macfie, Head of Open Data in the Digital Directorate’s Data Division to announce the publication of an independent report on open data for the Scottish Government. Publication of report In May 2024, I wrote a blog which outlined Scottish Government commissioned research to better understand the benefits, challenges…

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