North Lanarkshire Council, in partnership with infrastructure support engineers Amey, has launched Knowledge Bank, a new open-source digital platform intended to support local authorities in decarbonising their local road networks.
The platform is designed to offer access to peer reviews of public sector materials, enabling users to share case studies and best practice so that councils can make informed decisions on how best to decarbonise their road networks.
North Lanarkshire Council was also supported by Transparity, a Microsoft solutions partner, which provided the technical support to ensure the platform was ‘scalable, secure, and user-friendly'.
This new digital platform was launched as part of ADEPT's Live Labs 2, a three-year, UK-wide £30m programme funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) aimed at decarbonising the local highway network. As part of the programme, North Lanarkshire Council, with support from Amey, helped establish the north campus for the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads.
Elaine Nicol, road maintenance manager at North Lanarkshire Council, said: ‘The Knowledge Bank boasts key features such as a carbon calculator, materials comparison profiles, and advanced search tools, alongside case studies and innovation insights. We are excited to bring this valuable tool to the wider industry.'
Lauren SeBlonka, innovation business partner and Live Labs 2 lead at Amey, added: ‘We are so pleased to see the launch of this platform, which we believe will become a vital resource for local authorities as they accelerate their journey toward net zero. The platform's user-friendly design makes it easy to explore innovative approaches to material decarbonisation and discover how collaboration can support your community's progress.'
Hillary Batchelder, enterprise account director at Transparity, said: ‘The Knowledge Bank is a brilliant example of how digital platforms can empower local authorities to adopt low-carbon practices and deliver better outcomes for communities.'
The new platform is now available to councils here.
