Analytics

Keep Your City Running with Data and GIS

There are some basic features—things like buildings, water systems, parks, roads, electrical lines and buildings—that comprise the infrastructure of any city. And many people, myself included, often think of these as static features within the city landscape. However, if you work in state or local government, you know that’s not the case. The infrastructure ofRead… Read more »

Big Data Analytics for Effective Financial Market Oversight: 3 Essential Ingredients

Over the past few months, I have co-hosted Conversations on Big Data, a series of discussions about using analytics in creative and interesting ways. Today’s Conversation is with Lori Walsh, the Chief of the Center for Risk and Quantitative Analytics (the Center) for the Securities Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Enforcement. The SEC has severalRead… Read more »

Applying Analytics to Continuous Process Improvement

Conversations on Big Data is a series of discussions with executive-level leaders about using big data analytics in creative and interesting ways to improve business outcomes. Today’s Conversation is with Gerald Ray, the Deputy Executive Director of the Office of Appellate Operations (Appellate Ops) at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Appellate Ops manages cases whereRead… Read more »

What is the Cost of 1,000,000 TPS?

Suppose you are called into a meeting and asked to help with some quick planning estimates for a new IT system that is being proposed in response to an important and urgent White House initiative. The system will be used to collect and analyze massive amounts of real-time sensor data. Your boss says “we needRead… Read more »

Why Isn’t Performance Information Being Used?

Champions of performance management in government are confounded. After decades of trying to integrate the use of performance information into agency decision-making, it still isn’t happening on as broad a scale as once hoped. The initial premise twenty years ago was that if performance information was made readily available, it would be used by agencyRead… Read more »

Analytics Need to Provide Business Value

As a part of my ongoing conversation with senior executive leaders, Conversations on Big Data, I recently sat down with Dean Silverman, Senior Advisor to the Commissioner, Office of Compliance Analytics, at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These Big Data conversations tend to focus on best practices in using big data and analytics in creativeRead… Read more »

FEMAStat: An Iterative Approach to Maturing Strategic Analytics

Last month, I sat down with Carter Hewgley, Director of Enterprise Analytics at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to discuss using big data and analytics in a number of creative and interesting ways to support real-world business goals. This conversation was a part of the ongoing IBM/Partnership for Public Service Podcast series, Conversations onRead… Read more »