It’s tough to put a finger on exactly when government data became The Next Big Thing because the government has long been a data collector, generator and user. But as technology has advanced, so has government’s ability to crunch numbers and make data-driven decisions.
Data analytics, for example, helps equip government employees with real-time data in easy-to-understand formats, such as at-a-glance charts. Considering that data analytics brings benefits such as cost savings, better allocation of resources and improved modern service delivery – terms many Americans might not associate with government – it’s easy to see why analytics is top of mind in government today.
To see exactly how government entities at all levels are using data to improve services in various lines of business, we went straight to the sources. For example, we learned that analytics helped more teens find summer jobs in Boston, which decreased crime by 35 percent, and a new analytics platform at the Health Resources and Services Administration is saving employees time. In this guide, you’ll read Q&As – edited lightly for clarity and length – with experts in the government data field.
