The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched the Data for London Library, a new data platform built on interoperability and data integration to improve public services and boost economic growth.

The Library is part of the Mayor’s Data for London programme and marks an evolution in London’s data infrastructure. It will replace the London Datastore, which was first launched in 2010 and at the time was one of the world’s earliest open data platforms.

The Library aims to be the definitive catalogue of place data for London. It will include environment, buildings, and demographics.

Its approach is to connect, not collect, datasets held by London partners starting with Transport for London, the Department of Health and Social Care as well as Barnet, Brent, Camden, and Redbridge councils, and the Office for National Statistics.

The Data for London Library will offer more than 5,100 datasets, faster search tools, and improved discoverability aimed to make it easier for citizens, researchers, and start-ups to find and use trusted data that benefits Londoners.

Data from Library’s predecessor, the London Datastore, has been used to: improve air quality by collating data from air quality sensors across London to help map and predict air pollution episodes; support Net Zero by providing energy efficiency data for all London homes; and tackle rough sleeping by publishing quarterly and annual CHAIN reports based on data collected by outreach teams and services across London.

The new Library is also aimed at facilitating the evolution of AI within the city, by allowing discovery of relevant datasets. According to the London Authority, better access to datasets will enable better insights to enable preventative services, new digital or data tools to support public service productivity and opportunities for innovators across public, private, research and civil society.

London’s approach to building the new data platform will be made available for other UK cities and regions to adopt.

London is Europe’s largest technology hub and the second largest in the world. London is also at the forefront of AI research and top three globally for venture capital investment into this technology.

The recently published London Growth Plan identifies opportunities to boost the capital’s economy by harnessing rapidly growing tech sectors such as AI. The Data for London programme will help to support this by improving city data sharing, increasing collaboration, developing public trust, boosting Londoners’ digital skills and leading modern connectivity.

Theo Blackwell MBE, Chief Digital Officer for London, said: “London is great at collaboration and the new Data for London Library is rooted in partnership. We’ve been working closely with the data community, the London Office of Technology and Innovation, local authorities in London and other data providers in the city to prioritise the features and improve the user experience.”

Director of the Open Data Institute and Data for London Advisory Board Member Stuart Coleman said: “At the ODI, we advocate for practical, well-governed data infrastructure that makes it easier for people to access, use and share data. The Data for London Library shows how the public sector can take steps to make datasets more discoverable and usable. By opening up access to data from across the capital, it offers a pragmatic model that others can learn from. As the National Data Library develops, examples like this can help demonstrate what works in practice, particularly when it comes to improving interoperability, making data AI-ready, and building on existing foundations rather than starting from scratch.”