How the Department for Transport used HSE's National Population Database to inform transport investment

The Challenge

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) needed the latest and most accurate data available on residents, workers and other populations in any location, down to individual building level. The data needed to be of high quality so that it could be trusted by government to inform all transport investment in England. The dataset would have to have unmatched levels of granularity to feed in to DfT's own data modelling that is used for policy forecasting and the strategic testing of roads.

The Solution

The HSE National Population Database (NPD) is a unique Geographical Information System (GIS) dataset that enables populations of various types to be estimated in any location in Great Britain and at different times of the day, down to individual building level. Developed by HSE, the dataset combines HSE's own data with Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail information and presents it on a map using a purpose-built portal.

For over 40 years as Great Britain's health and safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has used robust analysis techniques to extract intelligence from the data we collect. We use it to inform and prioritise regulatory activity, underpin guidance and policy, and support scientific research activities. This means we're uniquely and ideally placed to bring together powerful datasets from across Government to build a useful, trustworthy and unique tool like the NPD.

By intelligently estimating the population of any GB location at any time of day or night, the NPD can help to minimise risks to your employees, assets and the general public. For example, the NPD can be used to minimise the risk associated with major building works by construction or utilities companies; to enable telecoms providers to optimally position mobile communications masts; to provide transport companies with traffic management modelling capabilities; to give businesses confidence in emergency resilience or disaster recovery planning.

The NPD's dataset is so trusted and reliable that it is used by the UK government's Resilience Direct platform. This secure online network for sharing real time information enables emergency services to deliver an efficient and co-ordinated response in situations that impact civil protection.

The Outcome

DfT considers the NPD to be the best population mapping data available. Without it they would be forced to use inferior data, providing outdated information. This would directly impact the effectiveness of their models and, therefore, the UK transportation networks.

See for yourself!

The NPD portal lets you experiment with a demonstration dataset and discover how you and your work could benefit.

Contact us for more information: npd@hse.gov.uk

Watch our video introduction of the tool below. Can't see the video? View it here