The Challenge of the Built Environment

In this chapter we begin to establish some of the unique aspects of working with data in the built environment sector. In doing so we describe the problem statement that we are seeking to answer through this book: can data improve the performance and outcomes of the built environment? We look at how the use of data can tie into the aspirations of the sector to create social value and drive sustainability using the Infrastructure Project Authority’s (IPA) Transforming Infrastructure Performance (TIP) Roadmap to 2030 as our rubric. We cover the profound role that better use of data must play in helping the built environment realise net zero, as well as covering pertinent topics for application of data to the built environment, namely interoperability, data sharing, safety, data ownership, and data valuation.