Digital Propensity & Impact Analysis Model

Up until now, a significant amount of transport infrastructure investment has been focused on getting people from where they live to where they work, or from where they work to where their customers are, in the fastest time possible. An alternative to this is investing in high quality, reliable digital connectivity so that employees, employers and their customers can interact from anywhere in the UK, without the need for physical movement. The challenge is therefore in striking the right balance between transport and digital infrastructure investment to ensure the greatest impact in unlocking and leveling-up opportunities for the entire UK.

This project looks to solve this challenge my providing a first-of-a-kind model to evaluate digital connectivity, transport mode choice, employment and geo-demographic data in unison. In doing so, users will be able to fully visualise the relationship between where people live, where they work, how they travel there (if they travel at all) and how well they are digitally connected. From here, the model can be used to highlight regions or demographics where home working is being restricted by a lack of digital connectivity, or where transport infrastructure investment may not be required due to high levels of home working (i.e. a reduction in demand as a result of the shift to home working).

In doing so, this project will capitalise on and cement the shift to home working as a result of COVID-19, resulting in significant environmental and social benefits.