Data Trust
LifeCycle is the first data trust of its kind and a pilot project for Jersey. It is a Jersey trust, collecting and managing data generated by local cyclists and is administered by professional trustees.
The purpose
The purposes of the trust were drafted in consultation with local cyclists and enable the trustees to create a new database about local cyclists, community cycling and cycling conditions in Jersey with a particular focus on cycling as a mode of transport. The data will be aggregated and analysed by the trustees and, if the trustees deem appropriate, shared with third party data users.
The trustees loan See.Sense bike lights to local cyclists who in turn, sign a contract agreeing to their data being collected and associated data insights being shared by the trust.
The aim
We want to sign up at least 200 Jersey cyclists to the trust so that we can generate data about their cycling journeys all over the island. Once the cyclists have generated sufficient journey data, the trustees will ask their data analysts to sift the data for insights – which will be anonymous.
Organisations will be invited to submit requests to access the insights and the trustees will be responsible for vetting the organisations and reviewing how they plan to use the insights they access.
Crucially, the trustees are obliged to ensure that insights are only shared with organisations with a mandate to improve cycling in Jersey or to publish insights to promote cycling locally. The trustees expect to invite data sharing requests from organisations during Q2 2023.
LifeCycle & See.Sense
LifeCycle has contracted See.Sense (the company behind the bike lights) to use its lights, app and cloud platform to collect cyclists’ journey data on the trust’s behalf. The data is securely stored by local firm, Calligo for the trust. This arrangement means that the data belongs to LifeCycle and the trustees control how the data is used.
This arrangement means that now Jersey cyclists can share their journey data with the specific aim to improve cycling conditions locally and safe in the knowledge that the trustees are legally obliged to follow the terms of the trust.
This is quite different from situations where, for example, a cyclist tracks their journey using a fitness app which takes ownership of the cyclists’ data and uses and shares it for commercial benefit however it likes.
About the data
LifeCycle aims to:
- Collect data from at least 200 cyclists in Jersey.
- Focus on cycle for travel journeys over leisure trips.
- Recruit cyclists from all parishes to maximise journey coverage across the island.
- Recruit cyclists of all ages and backgrounds.
- Make sure that the cyclists that sign up are diverse and representative of the profile of Jersey’s population.
The trustees will publish a description of the data-set and a profile of the cyclist cohort by end of Q1 2023.
Background & purpose
The LifeCycle data trust was started by Digital Jersey and Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner as a pilot project as part of Digital Jersey’s Data Stewardship Services programme. This programme is exploring the potential for Jersey’s trust administration industry to adapt its skills and services to stewarding data.
The first stage of the project explored if it is possible to create a data trust using Jersey trust law. It is, and LifeCycle has been established.
The current phase will see LifeCycle recruit at least 200 local cyclists to collect journey data into the LifeCycle data trust for a period of one year.
In 2023 the project will explore the operation of a data trust by sharing data insights according to the terms of the trust.
The pilot project is funded for a period of a year. At the end, the LifeCycle data trust will be wound up, or if it proves successful and funding can be found, it may be extended.
Project collaborators & funding
The lead collaborators are Digital Jersey and Jersey Office of Information Commissioner who are funding the LifeCycle data trust project.
- LifeCycle Trustee Ltd – administered by ICECAP
- Enforcer - JTC Group
- Legal advisers – Appleby
- Data hosting & analytics – Calligo
- Data protection advisers – Propelfwd
- Cyber security advisers – Defence Logic
- Project Collaborators – Ink Blot Creative, TSG, Monoceros Innovation
