Data-centric engineering

Introduction

The next decade will see step changes in data-driven technology, impacting all aspects of engineering and industry. In preparation, the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and The Alan Turing Institute have partnered on a major initiative to address new challenges in data-centric engineering.

Based at The Alan Turing Institute, the programme brings together world-leading academic institutions and major industrial partners from across the engineering sector.

The goal of the programme is to make data science, mathematical and statistical techniques fundamental to engineering practice, making engineering safer and smarter and leading to a world in which all that is engineered – buildings, transport, energy systems and much more – is more intelligently designed, built and maintained, more energy efficient and ultimately safer to use and live in.

The programme for data-centric engineering is led by Professor Mark Girolami.

Programme challenges

The programme is structured around three over-arching ‘Grand Challenges’ designed to meet the data-centric engineering needs of society and industry:

These challenges have been selected to enable the programme to provide the greatest societal impact. The programme has initiated a range of projects focused on delivering the path to achieving the Grand Challenges.

Learn more about the programme’s projects

Impact

Using machine learning to improve the reliability of wireless communication systems

A collaboration involving the Turing has developed a new method for improving wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi.

Optimising the world’s first underground farm

In the heart of London there is a farm like no other. It’s subterranean, sustainable and energy smart. It also has a digital twin looking out for its every need.

World first as 3D printed steel mart bridge opens to pedestrians in Amsterdam

The world’s first 3D printed steel bridge opens to the public today: a pedestrian structure located in the city centre of Amsterdam. The bridge is a result of a multi-disciplinary team of experts collaborating on the future design of public spaces.

Journal

The programme has partnered with Cambridge University Press on the launch of a new open access journal, Data-Centric Engineering.

The vision for the journal is to publish high quality research using data-intensive approaches in any of the engineering sciences so that emerging ideas can be accelerated in research and practice. The journal can be read, redistributed, and re-used without barriers. Importantly, this includes those with a stake in these developments outside of academia who usually do not have access to academic publications, such as those in industry and policy fields.

International connections

To have greatest impact, the programme has always recognised that data-centric engineering has to be adopted on a global basis. From the foundational community established at the Turing, the programme has worked to develop international connections to drive forward data-centric activity within engineering across the world.

Memoranda of understanding have been signed on three continents so far: with the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute, the Oden Institute (The University of Texas at Austin), the Finnish Centre for Artificial Intelligence, and The University of Sydney. These agreements formally recognise shared ambitions around embracing data-centric methods in engineering and encourage the co-development of activities, working together on research, sharing knowledge, and hosting exchange visitors and events.

The programme has also developed collaborative international projects with partners based in Amsterdam, San Francisco and Singapore.