The data I was analyzing was about “trust.” Maybe that’s what got me thinking about Stephen Sondheim, the Broadway composer and lyricist of musicals like Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods and the lyricist for West Side Story. Trust is a heavy emotional topic. Developmental psychologists
I love data; I’m a real and unabashed data geek. I'm the sci-fi nerd who has fun with data from Star Wars and analyzes World of Warcraft logs using SAS. More importantly, I love what data can do. I love the way it can show people new insights and new ideas,
Landmark population health study involving 50,000 northern Nevadans turns to SAS to reveal hidden health insights These are exciting times in health care. Earlier this week I read that the NIH will soon open enrollment for its “All of Us” initiative. The research program aims to compile the genetic and health
Data and analytics touch our lives every day. Consider: A call from your bank warning of a suspicious transaction. A well-timed discounted offer for something you need. Most people realize that data and analytics are behind these things, but they remain on the periphery of mainstream conversations. We need to
US health care costs are the highest in the developed world, despite per-capita healthcare spending roughly double that of the others, but with outcomes worse-or-equal-to comparable countries. A 2014 Commonwealth Fund study ranked the United States 11th out of 11 major industrial nations in overall healthcare. An aging population is
A steady drumbeat of news coverage makes one thing clear: Opioid abuse is rising and has reached epidemic levels throughout our country. Overdoses from the diversion and abuse of prescription opioids are one cause of the surge in deaths. Overdoses from heroin and other illicit synthetic opioids (such as heroin,
The government has an unfathomable amount of data -- and it grows more and more each year. This puts agencies in a unique and important position to use that data for good. Whether it be improving government operations, solving some of the nation’s biggest challenges or empowering citizens in new
The State of Illinois faces an unprecedented budget crisis, with more than $15 billion in unpaid bills. While experts will argue over the exact causes of states' financial struggles, many are pointing to the problem of state leaders avoiding long-term budgetary problems for short-term fixes. Illinois is not alone in
Too much to do and not enough time to do it. That's a common refrain in government, but an important one because of the critical role government plays in the lives of so many. In a new book from SAS, A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments: Using Big Data
Thanks to 100 dedicated volunteers who spent their entire weekend digging into data at North Carolina’s first-ever DataDive: The Anti-Defamation League was able to cite the new approaches it was taking to analyzing hate crime data when its CEO testified before the US Senate in early May. Counter Tools, a
