Feds Warned to Sweat the Small Stuff When Considering Big Data Solutions
September 15, 2014
Say, here’s a thought: After spending billions for big-data software, federal managers are being advised to do their research before investing in solutions. We learn about this nugget of wisdom from Executive Gov in their piece, “Report: Fed Managers Should Ask Data Questions, Determine Quality/Impact Before Investing in Tech.” Writer Abba Forrester sums up the Federal Times report:
“Rutrell Yasin writes that the above managers should follow three steps as they seek to compress the high volume of data their agencies encounter in daily tasks and to derive value from them. According to Shawn Kingsberry, chief information officer for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, federal managers should first determine the questions they need to ask of data then create a profile for the customer or target audience.
“Next, they should locate the data and their sources then correspond with those sources to determine quality of data, the report said. ‘Managers need to know if the data is in a federal system of records that gives the agency terms of use or is it public data,’ writes Yasin.
“Finally, they should consider the potential impact of the data, the insights and resulting technology investments on the agency.”
For any managers new to data management, the article notes they should choose a platform that includes data analysis tools and compiles data from multiple sources into one repository. It also advises agencies to employ a dedicated chief data officer and data scientists/ architects. Good suggestions, all. Apparently, agencies need to be told that a cursory or haphazard approach to data is almost certain to require more time, effort, and expense down the line.
Cynthia Murrell, September 15, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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