How Hammersmith and Fulham, and Upstream London use The Data City for industrial strategy

For Hammersmith and Fulham, the core challenge was clear. Traditional data sources were not built to reflect the modern economy.

The borough is home to advanced and fast-moving sectors, from life sciences and advanced manufacturing to digital and AI businesses emerging around institutions like Imperial College. Yet these sectors are not captured properly using legacy systems.

SIC codes, last updated in 2007, struggle to represent new and evolving industries. At the same time, public datasets, such as NOMIS and ONS provide high-level figures but lack the detail and transparency needed for confident decision-making.

“You get headline numbers, but it can be hard to interpret how these really map to activity on the ground” Callum explains.

Without a better alternative, understanding the true shape of the local economy, particularly in emerging sectors, would mean operating in the dark.

The Data City provides a clear and practical alternative.

Using the Industry Engine, the team can define and analyse sectors in a way that reflects how the economy actually works today. This includes building detailed views of advanced industries, exploring company-level data, and validating results through transparent lists of businesses.

The platform is used across the full lifecycle of the industrial strategy. It supports the identification of priority sectors, informs the design of projects, and underpins ongoing monitoring through a structured data dashboard.

This dashboard acts as the central evidence base for the strategy. Key indicators, such as investment data, business counts, and employment in advanced sectors are all sourced directly from The Data City.

Beyond structured analysis, the Industry Engine also enables fast, practical insights. Whether preparing a briefing, supporting a speech, or responding to stakeholder requests, the team can quickly access credible and ready-to-use data.

With The Data City, Hammersmith and Fulham now has a reliable evidence base to guide decision-making, track progress, and communicate the borough’s economic story. They can measure sectors that were previously invisible, particularly in areas like life sciences, digital, and climate tech, and assess performance, benchmarking how these have developed over time and in comparison, with other areas through their data dashboard.

The platform also plays a key role in demonstrating impact. Investment data, powered through integrated sources, such as Dealroom, allows the team to show how the borough is attracting funding and supporting growth.

Looking ahead, the council is building more detailed sector profiles using The Data City, developing a granular understanding of key clusters and how they evolve over time.

Without the platform, this level of insight would still be possible, but far slower and far less reliable.

In practice, The Data City has become embedded in how the borough understands and manages its economy. It brings clarity where traditional systems fall short, enabling faster decisions, stronger evidence, and a clearer view of what is really happening on the ground.