Government organizations are seeking new and innovative ways to use an abundance of data – both internally for government operations and externally to provide the public with greater access to information. This intersection of open and internal government data is the topic of a Route Fifty webinar taking place on December 8th at 2:00 EST titled Leveraging Data for State and Local Government Transformation.
I'm delighted to be one of the panelists, joined on the program by editors from Route Fifty and Government Executive and data and performance leaders from the Commonwealth of Virginia, City of Pittsburgh and Pew Charitable Trusts. If you'd like to hear good ideas, best practices and approaches to turning public data into the energy that powers government services, please join us by registering here.
Government is using data internally in a variety of ways:
- To improve public safety through better sharing and access to data that supports criminal justice operations and analysis
- To reduce the cost and improve efficiency of government social services through fraud, waste, and compliance analysis
- To help kids through data sharing that enhances child safety, facilitates child support enforcement and improves outcomes for at-risk children and youth
- To optimize health services through clinical data and health care claims analysis
- To enhance financial and budget forecasting and oversight
- To improve citizen interaction with government through consolidated data and streamlined government processes
But more and more, government is also making data available to the public to improve transparency and to find new and innovative ways to use government data sources. Just a few examples of government open data includes:
- Government spending data that provides insight into government contracts and services
- Air and water quality data to help citizens make decisions when air or water quality conditions might impact their health
- Sex offender registries and crime statistics to provide public safety information
- Emergency management and disaster response information to better serve the public in times of natural disasters
- City transportation information that provides everything from status of bus routes, to available parking places to bicycle routes
And making this data available to public enables citizens to help government through the creation of new apps and ways to interpret the data.
With so many possible uses of government data, it's sure to be a dynamic and informative discussion. Please tune in on Dec. 8 to explore this critical topic.
