Sport England has entered into a technology partnership that will help people get physically active with the use of apps.

The grassroots sport quango is working with the Open Data Institute (ODI) and other organisations in the sport sector to develop platforms which help individuals book dances class session, find tennis courts or take part in other activities.

“We want to make it as easy to book a badminton court as it is a hotel room, and open data is an essential part of that,” said Sport England director of insight Lisa O’Keefe.

Information about physical activities and sporting opportunities will be opened up to the public for free, and the data will not include any personal information.

Jeni Tennison, chief executive of ODI, said the two bodies would be “engaging large and small organisations” to “publish their data for the first time”.

She added: “We all use apps and digital services to make the most of our down time; to find a good local restaurant, book cinema tickets or research our next holiday. But it can me far more difficult to identify ways of getting more active. One reason is a lack of data to power online services like those we’ve come to expect for other activities.”