Rolls-Royce sets up Covid-19 data initiative

Established by Rolls-Royce’s data hub, R²  Data Labs, the alliance will combine economic, business, travel and retail data sets with behaviour and sentiment data, to provide insights on the economic impact of the pandemic.

IBM’s Data Science Elite team are working on the project, while Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, based at the University of Leeds, will provide data infrastructure and access to global academic research networks.

Google is providing Google Cloud Public Datasets and Google Cloud BigQuery.

The Data City, Truata and ODI Leeds are also taking part.

Caroline Gorski, global director, R² Data Labs, said: "People, businesses and governments around the world have changed the way they spend, move, communicate and travel because of Covid-19 and we can use that insight, along with other data, to provide the basis for identifying what new insights and trends may emerge that signify the world’s adjustment to a ‘new normal’ after the pandemic."