With the amount of data being generated today, agencies must harness it in a coherent manner with the correct tools and technology to predict behaviors and prevent incidents before they happen. According to Jeff Kramer, Senior Director of Government Solutions for Reed Tech, data is power when it is harnessed efficiently and effectively. To get there, an agency must first create a requirements’ definition for what they plan to use the data for, what they hope to accomplish by analyzing it, etc.
In a recent interview with Federal Technology Insider, Kramer said that agencies must cull business intelligence and analytics from data and position themselves as thought leaders in the area that is governed by their agency. For example, he says, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which gathers data on border control, should have the correct tools to harness data and spot trends in it to predict where things are going.
“With the right tools and the right analysts, they not only can understand what they are seeing, but predict where things are going and can identify why they are headed in that direction and correct course if necessary,” he explained
He recently attended the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) 2017 Capital Data Summit, which featured speakers and panels offering unique insights into how big data and analytics are transforming industries. Kramer said that the event was a great way to learn more about what agencies and companies are doing in Big Data, which continues to flow with such great volume and velocity that it can quickly overcome an organization that is unprepared.
“More than 100 universities offer data science programs,” he said, “so you can position your agency as a partner to these schools to develop a pipeline of these graduates through internships or hires after graduation.”
Kramer believes that many agencies can get by with an undergraduate for most analytic needs (consumer behaviors, for example) and says one way to fill that need is to provide hands-on training and/or schooling to current staff.
Listen to the entire interview with Kramer below.
