Research Data Scotland (RDS) has selected design agency Nexer Digital to deliver a six month digital transformation programme to simplify and accelerate access to public sector data.

As part of the £300,000 project, Nexter Digital will design a new ‘Data Access Service’ to reduce the time it takes researchers to identify and access data without compromising scrutiny or security.

RDS enables access to a plethora of information and data about people, places, and businesses to improve health and social wellbeing in the country.

Hugh Wallace, Chief Information Officer at Research Data Scotland said: “Data is often locked away in lots of individual systems, across many different organisations, and isn’t in a format that makes access or integration easy.

“One of the main reasons that RDS exists is to simplify and speed up access to public sector data, and in turn enable this data to be used for research purposes in the public good.”

The newly developed service will create a foundation for a secure, scalable, and sustainable access platform for this valuable data.

“Working together we have the chance to design and streamline the system to enhance applications and approvals processes and offer an end-to-end digital journey for the first time,” Wallace added.

To achieve this, the project will re-platform and re-design the RDS website to communicate the organisation’s purpose and be an accessible entry point for researchers.

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Nexer Digital will create advice for researchers and design a guided, accessible application process to allow researchers to access public datasets more efficiently.

Making accessibility a priority, the company will also test the solution for it’s usability to ensure everyone, including those with access needs, can use the service.

Shaun Gomm, Commercial Director at Nexer Digital said: “Digital transformation should be a considered process and make sure legacy and fragmented systems can be joined in a simple and accessible way, reducing the time it takes to find information, and boosting the number of people that have access to it.”

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