Metro Dynamics gain deeper, real-time insights with The Data City

Metro Dynamics is an economic development advisory firm who have significant expertise working in the public and private sectors, with expert teams in analysis, strategy, project development and implementation and evaluation and monitoring.

With offices in London and Manchester, the company works on diverse projects, from regeneration projects to large-scale regional strategies, focusing on critical sectors, inclusive growth, economic clusters, and innovation ecosystems.

Before using The Data City platform, Metro Dynamics faced challenges with using SIC code data to identify and measure the full extent and complexity of more modern sectors such as advanced manufacturing and life sciences.

While SIC codes offer valuable baseline data from an economic perspective, they often fail to capture rapidly evolving industries and technologies which are driving change and innovation within these sectors.

Previous solutions were able to provide a high-level snapshot or sample size of innovative businesses, although these lacked granularity and flexibility for the deep, sector-specific insights Metro Dynamics needed to provide for clients who are looking to understand more about the businesses within their place.

Metro Dynamics adopted The Data City platform to act as a complementary solution to the ONS SIC Code datasets, providing more modern Real-Time Industrial Classifications (RTICs) which are tailored to today’s rapidly changing sectors and could sit alongside analysis of ONS data.

The team found The Data City’s business data, particularly the location and RTIC classification, invaluable for cluster mapping and for better understanding the technological drivers underpinning a places’ emerging economy, providing a unique, out-the-box solution that was not available elsewhere.

With The Data City platform, Metro Dynamics could address limitations tied to SIC code data, delivering more informative economic analyses based on the location of firms and the types of activities undertaken.

By understanding the specifics of rapidly evolving industries, Metro Dynamics has been able to provide their clients with well-defined sector landscapes, identifying potential growth drivers and opportunities for investment, helping to make informed recommendations for economic policies.