Data that moves people: HERE Technologies at London Data Week

At HERE, location data is the fabric of what we do. By visualizing it, we can make complex, invisible patterns visible — helping businesses, cities, and individuals make smarter decisions. Last week, I had the privilege of representing HERE Technologies at London Data Week, an inspiring citywide festival dedicated to exploring how data can shape our cities for the better.

I was invited by the talented team at Flourish to present some of our latest interactive visualizations of live traffic data from HERE Real-Time Traffic at the Canva campus in London — and it was an unforgettable experience.

What does 40,000+ data points across a city look like? We found out. Using Flourish’s storytelling tools, we transformed raw numbers into engaging narratives that revealed how London moves, charges, and connects. More than 250 visitors joined us at the Canva Campus to explore these insights, interact with the data, and imagine new ways to make our city more efficient, equitable, and livable.

Our Flourish visualizations showed how real-time traffic insights can help drivers plan their journeys better, reduce congestion, and support the shift toward sustainable mobility.

In a nutshell, our visualizations display live traffic congestion in a 2km radius around the Canva Campus at Hoxton Square and compares it to the values a week ago as well as the percentage change in congestion in 5-minute increments throughout the day compared to the traffic a week ago.

While watching the live data unfold on the dashboard, the audience and I drew the same conclusions I had during my ride from London City Airport to the venue:

• During morning and evening rush hour, drivers tend to take the narrow side-streets in Hackney to avoid the traffic om the main arteries which in return causes higher jam factor on these smaller streets and adds up to the overall congestion.

• Right after the busiest traffic time in the morning, congestions drops about 20% which indicates a better time for drivers with flexible schedules.

• Even though Hoxton Square was relatively calm in terms of traffic during the whole day, the traffic visualization was able to give more insights of what’s happening in the surroundings and helped visitors see beyond what’s right in front of them.

Traffic congestion around Hoxton Square

London Data Week is more than an event — it’s a mission. Its goal is to bring together residents, organizations, and institutions to tackle challenges from the cost-of-living crisis to public health, through data-driven collaboration. This aligns perfectly with HERE’s vision: enabling people, businesses, and governments to harness location intelligence for a better tomorrow.