Steve Marsh, Computer Laboratory

I believe that geospatial analysis is the key to understanding complex real-world problems. Data is inherently valuable but it is more valuable still when it has rich contextual information, such as a location component, that can produce even greater insights.

Geospatial analysis provides a key first-step towards answering a range of complex questions. If we have the capability to filter, in real-time, vast, largely unrelated datasets and condense them into a concise, pre-qualified subset, we can drastically improve the efficiency of our analytics engines. Simply put, they have a smaller amount of more relevant data that they have to crunch.

By taking this filter-then-analyse approach we are able to close the feedback loop between question and answer, allowing researches to rapidly iterate and test hypotheses quickly, even across huge datasets.