How Agencies can Make Good on the Promise of Big Data
Big data is a big bet for the public sector.
It’s estimated that U.S. federal agencies currently store 1.61 petabytes of data – and it’s expected to do a lot more with that data than it currently is. In a 2012 survey by the 1105 Government Information Group, 63% of the almost 200 respondents agreed that unless they implement and use big data it will be more difficult to meet their agency's mission
What is Big Data?
The term “big data” is most often described in terms of the three “Vs” – volume, velocity (the speed at which data becomes available and can be analyzed) and variety of data. In other words, data is now available faster, has greater coverage and scope and includes new data points that were previously not available - from GPS data to data collected by Internet-enabled devices and sensors, and more.
Why Big Data Matters
What really matters about big data is what it does. In 2014, the President commissioned a 90-day study that examined how public and private sectors can maximize the benefits of big data while minimizing its risks. The report – Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values – suggests that: “Used well, big data analysis can boost economic productivity, drive improved consumer and government services, thwart terrorists, and save lives.”
The report recommends that “All departments and agencies should, in close coordination with their senior privacy and civil liberties officials, examine how they might best harness big data to help carry out their missions.”
All well and good, but there are several challenges towards achieving the goals set forward in the report:
- The U.S. PATRIOT Act, HIPAA, the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative, the Affordable Care Act, and many other regulations and initiatives require compliance with complex, stringent rules about data collection, storage, management, and security.
- An average of 31% of government data is unstructured, complicating analysis and action as well as hindering interagency cooperation.
- Only 6% of civilian agencies and 3% of defense agencies say they have the infrastructure and processes in place to successfully leverage big data.
- IT spending across all major federal agencies has decreased by 2.4% annually from 2009 to 2013.
Source: Informatica
How Agencies can Drive Better Decisions with Big Data
If your agency is looking to do more to exploit the power of its data, mark your calendars for a public-sector webinar hosted by Informatica and DLT: Is Your Agency Achieving Peak Mission Delivery Effectiveness, January 21, 2015, 2.00 PM EDT.
This one-hour event will explore how your agency can move confidently forward in a data-fueled universe. Register today.
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