Editor’s Note: The study by Chris Yiu, Head of Digital Government at Policy Exchange, attached below, notes that “big data has the broader potential to enhance public sector efficiency.” Specifically, the distinguished think tanks states, “our estimates suggest that fully capturing the big data opportunity to drive up efficiency and cut out waste in the UK public sector could be worth a total of between £16 billion and £33 billion a year (see Figure 3 for a breakdown of the broad areas where these savings might fall).” A short video by Chris Yiu may be found here. The study is consistent with President Obama’s Big Data Initiative while offering lessons for the U.S. Additional discussion of the budget benefits of Big Data may be found here.
From: Policy Exchange
The modern world generates a staggering quantity of data – and the business of government is no exception. The term big data has come to refer to the very large datasets involved, and big data analytics to refer to the process of seeking insights by combining and examining them.
This report is about a strategy for big data in the public sector. We provide an overview and examples to inspire policymakers around the opportunity for data and analytics to transform public service delivery. We also sound a note of caution about the challenges this agenda poses for the public sector, particularly around talent, capabilities and civil liberties.
Our recommendations show how government might begin to capture the opportunities of big data whilst meeting the challenges the public sector will face along the way.
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