Fraud remains a huge challenge for governments and inspectors at all levels, as fraudsters today are more successful than ever. Because many cases are so difficult to detect, there is tremendous potential for technologies such as analytics and AI to support investigations. The social inspectorates in Belgium have recently set
Across all industries and sectors, the volume and scope of data continues to increase exponentially. It shows no sign of slowing down or reducing. UK Defence, and the wider public sector, collect vast amounts of data. They have a desire to innovate and exploit that data through analytics, artificial intelligence,
As a former police commissioner, I can testify that public-sector fraud is a global problem. Government fraud is becoming bigger and more dangerous every year, especially in the COVID-19 era. Governments view the pandemic as a public health emergency and a severe threat to economic stability. But it’s also important
It is increasingly possible to use text analytics to explore different types of data. When a news story this summer caught my eye, I decided to see if I could use SAS Visual Text Analytics (VTA) and SAS Visual Analytics (VA) on customer complaints to provide information that might be
If you are a government leader, or one of the millions of people employed in the public sector globally, these last 100 days have probably been the most challenging of your lifetime. It is also an unprecedented opportunity to show how dedicated public servants and their agencies can best serve
Artificial intelligence often seems misunderstood, especially in fraud. The same is true of machine learning. One of the amazing things about them is they ask the unasked questions. This occurs as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) go about their daily work. So, what is the unasked question? Too
An abundance of data does not equal an abundance of wisdom. At the SAS Government Leadership Forum, leaders from federal, state and local agencies will discuss how analytics can bridge the gap between data and wisdom to make meaningful changes in how government operates. Analytics, however, is not just about
Many of the most beautiful areas in the US are owned by the government, to preserve them and allow access for everyone to enjoy them. And most US schools are traditionally closed during the summer, which provides families a great opportunity to go visit state and federal lands (parks, forests,
Bloomberg Government reported in the 2017 fiscal year that federal agencies could commit more than $1 billion on countermeasures for insider threats. Whether that number turned out to be accurate or not, it highlights the priority that the federal government is placing on protecting its information and data from being
Former U.S. Chief Technology officer Megan Smith stressed the importance of continued investments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in her keynote address at SAS Analytics Experience, sharing a quote from George Washington. In his first address to Congress, in 1790, Washington said, “There is nothing which can better
Every day 91 Americans die from opioid abuse, every nine seconds a student drops out of high school and every 47 seconds a child is confirmed to be abused or neglected. These are sobering statistics that show the challenge our government leaders face to help those in need. While there
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
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
The role of analytics in combating terrorism Earlier this spring, I found myself walking through a quiet and peaceful grove of spruce trees south of the small hamlet of Foy outside of Bastogne, Belgium. On travel in Europe, I happened to have some extra time before heading to London. I
The U.S. Marshals Service is the federal agency known for bringing wanted fugitives to justice. Often, the Marshals Service gets attention for these arrests, but once the publicity has died down they face a basic challenge --- where to put the individuals in their custody. The agency uses data to
It was just a few years ago that the idea of an Internet of Things (IoT) seemed far off, something out of a science-fiction movie. After all, why would a vehicle need to talk to the road? Why would our utility meters need to talk to the central office? The
Improving citizen happiness is an important goal for many, if not all, governments. But what is happiness really? Can it be objectively measured? Can we discover the key factors that best correlate with happiness? And ultimately, can governments implement policies and programs that maximize happiness? Is maximum happiness nothing more than
The Data For Good initiative is all about using data and analytics to improve the lives of citizens around the world – however most people wouldn’t immediately think about tax collection as a humanitarian effort. But that’s exactly how Courtney Kay-Decker, Executive Director of the Iowa Department of Revenue sees
I was surprised to find that the size of the U.S. federal government is smaller today, than in the past many decades - let's graph it out, so it's easy to analyze... The way I got started on this little adventure was via Jishai's graph on dadaviz.com. Here's a snapshot
The electoral battlespace for the upcoming general election in the United Kingdom is starting to take shape. Campaigners are busily debating the political landscape. They want to own the high ground that dominates areas that matter most to voters – the NHS and the economy. With an ageing population and
Here’s a great way to kill a conversation at the next cocktail party you attend. Start talking about the US budget deficit. You remember the deficit, right? It’s the difference between what the government collects and what it spends. In 2014, the US federal government spent $488 billion more than
Performance management systems are becoming more important to local governments across the country. This is true for several reasons. Citizens are calling for a more accurate accounting of how their tax monies are being spent. Local government revenues have not been growing as much as in the past and, in
Before that headline really scares you, let me clarify - there hasn't been a single fraud scheme that managed to pull off a $2 trillion haul (yet). However, the fact remains that as rising scams, schemes, the gray market, work under the table and good old tax evasion escalate, as
In my last blog, I discussed the growing commitment among governors to infrastructure investment, and to coming up with innovative ways to find dollars to fund the needed improvements to the transportation network. I heard it over and over again during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in January
It was a moonless night in April 1912 when the pinnacle of ocean travel technology and luxury, the RMS Titanic, collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 passengers and crew. A primary cause of the tragedy was that the captain and
I live in the South, but was raised by Midwestern Catholics from rural Minnesota. Think Jeff Foxworthy meets Fargo. A few of the great things that I have learned about folks in the South is their incredible politeness even when they are really saying, "Wow, what in the world are
The first step is to answer the question of what “real-time” actually means. Depending on the program and industry speed of response, I’ve heard answers that varied from milliseconds for the biggest banks in processing credit card charges to 24 hours for some government programs. A better description of what
