Freedom of Information in Scotland has become both an effective tool for public accountability in Scotland and a growing demand on the resources of our public sector bodies. However, questions over compliance, scope, operation and cost have increasingly come to the fore. What do Scottish bodies covered by FOI – and others that may be pulled into its reach – need to know about where we stand and what may be coming next?

This conference takes place online.

AI is already here and every public, private and third sector body in Scotland has to understand what it is going to mean for them. Its impact will be deep and wide ranging, so what do organisations need to do to understand it, react to it and adapt to it?

This conference will take place online.

Data protection requirements for all organisations in the UK and Scotland are governed by law setting out what needs to be complied with and how.  However, the new Data Protection and Digital Information (No2) Bill now moving through Parliament is expected to conclude in early 2024.  It contains a range of changes with implications for all data practitioners and data protection officers, impacting on when, how and why compliance is needed.  What do data practitioners and their organisations need to understand about the new Act, what changes and responses will be required and what are the other latest and next broader drivers of change in the data environment?

This conference takes place online.

All organisations need to be aware of their data protection obligations. They have to be organised to comply with those requirements, be proactively engaged with the evolving contexts in which they are operating and they should be supporting their data practitioner staff in their roles and in their professional development. However the context in which organisations store, share and use data is fast evolving - both in terms of law and best practice and in respect of how public and private sector organisations operate. How therefore do organisations need to respond in order to remain agile in an ever changing data world so that they support the development and constant upskilling of their critical data protection professionals, ensure the organisation is always learning from best practice and collectively react swiftly to the planned and unplanned changes that can threaten data security?

This conference takes place online.

By 2050 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Scotland’s urban places have mountains of data but also infinite demand for services, living spaces and economic activity. Placemaking is one obvious answer to making more sustainable, rational decisions on where and how we live. COP 26 showed that without change, many communities globally will die and others everywhere face a dismal future. However public bodies, private companies and our people all act separately. Individual plans, decisions and actions often work against each other. Left untouched we will make poorer decisions, storing up problems for the future rather than placemaking better ways of living now. Therefore, we need to collect and harness valuable data to see the true picture of how our urban spaces are working and being used. That in turn needs to inform joined-up decision making to make better, viable, sustainable places. The question is, how do we achieve that?

Online

This webinar discusses the challenges organisations continue to face in meeting their data protection obligations during the COVID pandemic, examines how organisations have reacted and adapted to the crisis and looks at what needs to be done in respect of reviewing systems and processes to ensure acceptable levels of compliance in ‘new normal’.

Online

This webinar will discuss the immediate and long term effects of coronavirus upon our cities and city-regions with a focus on the potential of data, the meaning of smart cities post-Covid and approaches to smart city region economic recovery in the key engines of our economy.

Online