Open Tools and Creative Visualisation for Transport Systems
We are pleased to announce a seminar by Will Deakin from Network Rail on the use of Open Tools and Creative Visualisation for understanding complex transport systems.
This is part of the Transport Data Science MSc Module at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, and will be a hybrid meeting on Teams and in person. In-person attendance is encouraged for debate and refreshments!
Get in touch with Robin online for a link to the Teams invite if you are not in the Institute for Transport Studies but would like to join online.
Details
- Speaker: Will Deakin, Network Rail
- Date: Thursday, 19th March 2026
- Time: 10:00 - 11:00 (Seminar and Q&A)
- Location: Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), University of Leeds, Room 1.11a-c (and online via Teams)
Abstract
How do we make sense of the complex and vast railway network? Where should new investment in sustainable transport be directed? In this seminar, Will Deakin will discuss his work at Network Rail and beyond, using new open-source tools and creative methods to better understand transport systems. The talk will cover models of the railway, ways to visualise potential demand, the power of open data, and how innovative data visualization can provide powerful insights into national infrastructure.
Drawing on experience with the "parenx" package, described in a recent paper co-authored with researchers at the University of Leeds and ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) (Deakin et al., 2025), and various open data sources, the talk will show how data science can be used make datasets come to life and connect with people. Will’s visualisations have been viewed millions of times on social media and featured in Bloomberg, demonstrating the power of open data and open tools to engage a wide audience with transport data.
Agenda
- 10:00 - 10:40: Seminar by Will Deakin
- 10:40 - 11:00: Q&A Session
- 11:00 - 11:15: Break
- 11:15 - 13:00: Open Data Science Workshop
Following the seminar, there will be an open workshop session. Transport Data Science students will work on their projects, and all other attendees are invited to stay and work on a data science project of their choosing—perhaps inspired by the morning’s talk! Demonstrators will be available to support and discuss ideas.
About the Speaker
Will Deakin is a researcher and data scientist at Network Rail. He is known for his work in making complex railway data accessible and interpretable. His visualizations of passenger journeys have been featured in Bloomberg and have received significant attention on social media. All his work is based on open data and open-source tools.
For more details on the seminar and to see the slides, visit the Seminar 2 page. For more information about the Transport Data Science module, visit itsleeds.github.io/tds.