Enhancing BDUK’s data capabilities

Client Challenges

To meet the speed of the government’s flagship Project Gigabit programme, and the sheer volume of associated data requests, BDUK needed to address several technical challenges within its data capability.  

Solution

In partnership with BDUK, Capgemini developed several solutions in Google Cloud, including a well-defined data architecture; repeatable, scalable data pipelines; a comprehensive data observability suite; and consolidated reporting services. 

Benefits

• Improved stability of data products
• Improved consistency of reporting
• Increased development velocity
• New business insights
• Continued trust and confidence in data

Enhancing BDUK’s data capabilities with geospatial data using the Google Cloud Platform

Working collaboratively with BDUK, Capgemini has helped develop a best-in-class capability for producing geospatial analytics, underpinned by the advanced data and AI services on Google Cloud Platform.

Establishing a data capability strong enough to support a mighty mission

Building Digital UK (BDUK) is a government agency focused on improving digital connectivity across the UK to transform lives and drive economic growth. Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to enable hard-to-reach communities with access to gigabit-capable broadband. It targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ plans, reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on getting the digital connectivity they need.

To help achieve this mission, BDUK is reliant on a strong yet flexible data capability. One which can produce trusted, well-grounded insights whilst also being agile enough to adjust to the fast-paced nature of commercial delivery. 

 
This geospatial capability is a real enabler for BDUK, allowing the organisation to:

• Identify target premises currently underserved by the existing broadband market. 
• Design intervention areas that maximise the impact of commercial activity and deliver the best value for money for the national budget. 
• Help monitor the rollout of Gigabit broadband across the country and track key KPIs across the programme. 
• Ensure commercial accountability across the suppliers who benefit from Project Gigabit funding initiatives.

BDUK engaged the services of Google Cloud Premier Partner Capgemini to speed up the implementation of robust data management systems, which are critical to the efficient delivery of essential data to support the delivery of Project Gigabit. 

By providing additional capability and capacity, Capgemini helped ensure that BDUK’s data was reliably maintained and could be delivered across the organisation to deadline and in the required format.

Harnessing the power of Google Cloud Platform

Throughout a support services partnership, Capgemini developed an end-to-end data solution using Google Cloud Platform tools.

Utilising native solutions such as Dataform, Dataplex, and Big Query, the team centralised  data from various sources, transforming it into a usable format, and storing it in a scalable and accessible way. These tools also helped develop a structured and organised approach to data management, ensuring data integrity and accessibility. Big Query’s ability to handle massive datasets ensures the solution can grow with the business and is scalable throughout the duration of the programme’s lifecycle.

Through the development of rich Market Intelligence (MI) and Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards utilising best in class tooling such as Looker and Tableau, Capgemini has helped BDUK further embrace data-driven decision making. This transformation gives colleagues across the organisation a comprehensive view of the business landscape through bespoke dashboards.

A future-fit solution to meet continued objectives

The solutions created through this collaborative engagement will ensure BDUK is supported by a safe, secure, and trusted data platform for Project Gigabit. 

Automating the data integration and transformation process has helped reduce manual effort and potential errors, freeing up resources for more strategic tasks. This allows BDUK’s advanced subject matter experts, such as geospatial analysts and data scientists, more time to work on high value problems and maximise their personal and professional impact. The developed pipelines also include data cleaning and validation steps, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the data used for analysis. This helps promote data trust across the business and gives senior leadership confidence in the information generated by the business. 

Integrating data from various sources has helped provide an enhanced view of the commercial market, enabling strategy and market analysis teams the ability to assess the current broadband market and determine where future risks in Gigabit delivery may arise. Finally, a well-defined data architecture helps ensure compliance with data privacy regulations and enhance the overall data posture now and into the future.

“Together, BDUK and Capgemini have utilised the capability and capacity of the private sector to enhance the resilience, reliability, and pace of BDUK data outputs and outcomes – supporting the delivery of Government’s Project Gigabit objectives.” – BDUK representative