Developing countries have created the biggest data repository in the world now faces the challenge of using the information for better governance, as per the official report. Big data is defined by the variety, volume, speed, and analytics involve in processing cost-effectively to be able to draw conclusions for their useful application. From transforming development initiatives to improving transparency, Big Data analytics can have a major impact on the way governments work.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND NEW RISKS

Big data and government agencies are teaming up to help agencies run more efficiently and better serve constituents at all levels. Due to recent technological advancements, government agencies are now leveraging big data insights in a variety of innovative ways. With increased requirements of data at the higher managerial level or declining budgets, they are looking to do more with less— a path of digital transformation can help them get there. At the same time, government agencies are modernizing their data warehouses by using advanced technological tools, optimizing their enterprise resource planning solutions, and commoditizing their storage so as to reduce red-tapism and enhance more transparency in the system.

Big data brings new opportunities as well as new risks when it comes to integrity and confidentiality of data. Thus, good data governance is pivotal for organizations in the big data world these days. Further, companies have to adopt practical steps to manage them effectively. Huge data and associated analytics are advantageous in numerous areas, such as,

• Efficient supply chain management
• Targeting healthcare delivery
• Providing personalized education for students
• Preventive steps to protect the environment
• Enabling security for people and society
• Informed policy decision making
• Resolving traffic problems in cities

APPLICATIONS OF BIG DATA

The potential of big data can be easily used by government agencies by employing sufficient method through the collection, transformation, and processing of information getting from various sources. Big data provides a big opportunity for government agencies to process it accurately which helps to make a proper decision, identifying corruption, criminal and challenges and threats, and making a future decision. It is not only useful for public sector organizations like government actors, cities, and citizens but also health care and social media. Since the government has a major responsibility to generate and managing knowledge. Government is a center of both creating and managing knowledge. So, the government can manage it by analyzing big data through analysis.

CRITICAL ASPECTS OF BIG DATA

One of the most critical aspects of data analytics is its effect on how decisions are made and who makes such crucial decisions. When data is costly to obtain, scarce, or unavailable in digital form, it makes sense to allow people with experience to make decisions based on relationships and patterns they have observed from data. Leaders state their opinions on what the future brings, what will happen, how well something would work, and so on as per their intuition and plans accordingly.
In the era of growing usages of big data, managers and leaders in private companies and the government should be data-driven. They must avoid using hit and trial basis of work and rather do what the data states. This needs a change in mindset from using the traditional way of doing the work manually and effective training is needed to make decisions based on data-driven. Though businesses have tried hard to adopt data and analytics in different forms efficiently to boost business efficiency and personalize offerings, governments have been laggards. The possible benefits that data analytics could bring to the government could vary from transforming the programs of the government like using Big Data and Analytics where data is more complex for human interface to interpret and empowering citizens thereby to boost transparency and to enable participation of all stakeholders.

THE GOVERNMENT IN A BIG DATA WORLD

Governments differ from businesses when it comes to goals, mission, and decision making. Though decision-makers in businesses are limited there is a diverse set in government. The government has tremendous data in legacy databases collected from various sources and forms that must be curated and migrated for new-age analytic tools. Further, data collection is a paramount task for the government since data is received from numerous online and offline channels. Data sharing and retaining it between departments and across ministries is a challenge, provided the existing jurisdictional boundaries.

Data analytics when properly managed could be a blessing for the government struggling to gain bigger insights about any particular projects or for the future course of action for an economy as a whole. However, it could also be a curse to the organizations and governments that are not prepared to handle the untold x-bytes of unstructured data pouring unceasingly into their coffers. This is the dilemma most companies wake up to every day, and thus they capture only a fraction of the value that data analytics brings. Realizing the essence of digital advancement, Big data could have a huge impact only when used on a massive scale, with safeguards by the government for the delivery of public services and goods.  Every government agency should adopt big data technology for reducing corruption, threat, and challenges and increasing efficiency, accountability, and transparency which will help to become themselves transparent, accountable, and hassle-free public agencies.

Blackcoffer Insights 8.0: Darshika Verma, National Insurance Academy, Pune