Tag: open data

U.S. Open Data Push Advances

Sep 20, 2017 |

The push for open government data got a boost this week with passage of a budget bill that includes language codifying open data requirements for the federal government.

Senate passage of the Defense Department spending authorization package included an amendment incorporating the text of the Open, Permanent, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act. Read more…

Exploring Governments’ Civic Data Connections

Aug 11, 2017 |

An individual data point is practically worthless by itself. Only when combined with other pieces of data can it contribute to the emergence of the bigger picture. For those in knowledge extraction industries, one of the biggest sources of data is our various government institutions that publish civic data. Read more…

TaxBrain Brings Open Data Science to Federal Models

Aug 10, 2016 |

Some of the most important decisions made in Washington D.C. are influenced heavily by sophisticated computer models refined over the course of decades. However, most of the models are proprietary, which hinders the ability to improve them and to weigh underlying assumptions that affect the results. Read more…

New Platform Visualizes Open U.S. Data

Apr 4, 2016 |

Federal agencies are sitting on tons of data, particularly in areas like healthcare, employment, weather and education. A new initiative called Data USA seeks to unleash this trove via a free and open platform that collects, analyzes and visualizes government data to help policy makers and executives better understand critical issues. Read more…

Peering In On the Pols with Big Open Data

Sep 17, 2015 |

It’s no secret that our government is using big data technologies to track and monitor the activities of regular citizens, ostensibly to protect our freedom. But data analytics can also be used to keep track of what our government is doing—or at least what the politicians and other lawmakers are up to. Read more…

Schools Get a Leg Up on Terrorists with Big Data

Apr 23, 2015 |

Governments around the world spend billions of dollars each year trying to prevent terrorist attacks, with varying degree of success. When preventative efforts fail, the next best option is to help potential victims prepare by predicting when and where attacks are most likely to occur. Read more…

Three Ways Open Data Could Make California Golden

Mar 26, 2015 |

While California is widely regarded as the high-technology hub of the world, the state lacks a cohesive open data policy. Last week, a non-profit think tank in the Golden State released a report detailing why the state government should adopt an open data policy. Read more…

Will Big Metadata Rat You Out?

Feb 5, 2015 |

Data scientists are usually taught to be cautious with personally identifiable (PII) data and take pains to ensure that it’s properly anonymized and aggregated for authorized uses. But as MIT researchers recently showed, it’s quite possible to “reidentify” Read more…

‘Liquid’ Data Seen as Engine of Economic Growth

Oct 9, 2014 |

The free flow of data, especially government data, on open platforms could generate more than $1 trillion in annual U.S. economic activity, according to a recent global survey. That forecast depends however on greater investment in data analysis tools and regulatory safeguards that would make data more “liquid.” Read more…

Charting Safe Passages Through the Urban Jungle with Big Data

Sep 5, 2014 |

When you visit a big American city for the first time, you probably wonder where it’s safe to go, and what areas it would be best to avoid. Wouldn’t it be great to have an app that advised you? Read more…

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