The lifeblood of any state government is data, and lots of it. It has been viewed as a crucial commodity that is necessary to manage projects, assess program performance, deliver efficient services and even avoid fraud.
For a lot of people, the phrase “big data analytics” brings to mind images of massive rooms filled with servers designed to manipulate algorithms to analyze the vast amount of data being collected. However, when it comes to local and state governments, it is necessary to use big data analytics to relieve traffic congestion, monitor public utilities, evaluate and predict crime, follow education trends, and keep tabs on public resources.
Collecting and analyzing data is necessary but, if the information is not accurate and managed correctly, it all becomes a useless waste of space. While it is true that state and local governments are embracing what big data can deliver, the question that puts it all into perspective is “How good is the information they are collecting in the first place?
That is why local governments in China are gearing up for big data development. On September 5, the Chinese State Council announced that it had released the guidelines necessary to boost the development of big data. The guidelines mandate the establishment of a unified platform for governmental data.
The timeframe is within the next three years, before the end of 2018. The new platform will provide citizens with access to public data resources on agriculture, credit, culture, education, employment, finance, public health, science, transport and weather.
Due to the fact that local governments in China recognize the economic significance that big data can play, several have already set up big data management departments. According to a report in the Time Weekly, “The newly created units would lead in setting up standards and rules for the collection, management and development of big data applications and transactions. The units have also been designed to promote and help liberalize government data and develop the big data industry.”
The thought process is that open data collaborations between government, business and the public sector will significantly enhance the city governments' efficiency and effectiveness in transport, medical care, tourism, as well as civil affairs.
This development is not without some fears. While there can be enormous economic benefits brought by the application of big data, the major concern felt by the Chinese government is over national security and leaks of business secrets that could accompany the opening of government data.
The five to 10 year plan to promote big data in order to create a new model to focus on accurate management, along with multi-disciplinary cooperation, is necessary to ensure that the data is accurate and therefore useful. It is obvious that now data management is becoming a big concern in China, as well as the rest of the world.