Weekly Roundup: December 14-18, 2020

Submitted by on Fri, 12/18/2020 - 09:56

Michael J. Keegan

Overseeing COVID-19 Pandemic Response Spending

Submitted by on Wed, 12/16/2020 - 23:08

Congress authorized historic levels of emergency funding in response to the coronavirus outbreak. This response involved $2.6 trillion in economic relief to individual citizens, loans for businesses, and support for hospitals and other medical providers, as well as economic relief for impacted businesses, industries, and state, local, and tribal governments.

A key part of this effort was the establishment of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, the PRAC, which is charged with providing a transparent accounting of relief funds.  

Looking Beyond the Federal Data Strategy

Submitted by on Wed, 12/16/2020 - 09:04

There were quiet celebrations a year ago as the long-awaited Federal Data Strategy and a 2020 action plan came to fruition. It involved hundreds of dedicated people across the government and the action plan covered 20 specific elements.

Silo Busting: The Challenges and Successes of Intergovernmental Data Sharing

Submitted by on Wed, 12/16/2020 - 09:00

Even with the stumbles that have occurred in standing up a national system for sharing pandemic-related health data, it has been far more successful than previous efforts to share data between levels of government—or across government agencies at the same level.

This report offers a rich description of what intergovernmental data sharing can offer by describing a range of federal, state, and local data sharing initiatives in various policy arenas, such as social services, transportation, health, and criminal justice.

Driving Data With Emerging Technologies: Insights from GSA and DOD

Submitted by on Mon, 12/14/2020 - 14:04

As government agencies strive to improve service by implementing advanced technologies, how that data informs strategy and business decisions represents a critical element of success. The IBM Center for The Business of Government and the Partnership for Public Service recently hosted the first of two virtual panels on this subject, focused on readying agency data by using artificial intelligence and other technology solutions.

Weekly Roundup: December 7-10, 2020

Submitted by on Fri, 12/11/2020 - 13:10

Michael J. Keegan

Eight Keys to Accelerating Government Data Innovation

Submitted by on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 14:01

The forthcoming report describes the value that can be created, and the ways that services can be improved and made more customer-focused by sharing data across agencies, across levels of government, or from government to nonprofit or corporate partners. From this review of success cases, a set of ideas about what can precipitate or accelerate success emerged, resulting in this list of factors that create momentum for data sharing.

Two Models for Successful Intergovernmental Data Sharing

Submitted by on Tue, 12/08/2020 - 13:47

Certainly, there have been some disappointments in quality and timeliness of data, and the availably of data in electronic format.  But in many cases the career public servants who have collected data for many years are only now seeing their important work gain public attention.  Excellence in government data management is not new.  Many of the best leaders and innovators in government data analytics have been refining their craft for over a decade, building success incrementally over time.

Bob Westbrooks

Submitted by on Mon, 12/07/2020 - 10:36

Robert A. Westbrooks was appointed Executive Director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) on April 27, 2020. Mr. Westbrooks has spent 26 years in public service focusing on accountability and anti-fraud activities, serving the last 5 years as Inspector General for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation conducting independent oversight, audits, and investigations to help protect the retirement benefits of 35 million American workers and retirees.

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