Community value can also be unlocked by capturing, structuring and sharing data. For example, with patronage, usage and user experience information about existing hospitals, governments can improve the design and function of each subsequent hospital. At the core of these digital innovations is embedding improved analysis of current and future users. A prime example is the Cross River Rail customer experience centre in Brisbane. As well as being used to familiarise the community with the staged delivery of the project, it is collecting de-identified data about how customers will behave when the system is open.
While digital innovation adds minor costs to a project, it provides significant benefits. These include improved customer simulation, journey mapping and user insights. It is also an ideal mechanism for capturing community member and user feedback, which can increase government social license and ultimately lead to infrastructure that better meets the needs of users.
Three-dimensional digital models of infrastructure are a valuable tool to inform decision making and engagement with the community and other stakeholders. A three-dimensional model can allow large, complex projects to be visualized and understood before they are built, including by members of the public that may be unfamiliar with infrastructure development. This approach allows refinement of scope and design considerations earlier, before the project is physically built. Doing so could, for instance, reduce the cost, frequency and magnitude of government-generated variations later in the project's life and increase community ownership.