Commerce secretary to agencies: Bring us your data, we'll find solutions

As massive troves of federal data have become the coin of the realm for agencies seeking innovation, the National Technical Information Service is touting its new private sector partnerships as a way to unlock its potential.

The NTIS — a research and development component of the Department of Commerce — displayed some of the ways agencies have taken advantage of their data to improve mission delivery at its Federal Data Meeting on April 4, with newly minted Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on hand to discuss the advantages of public-private sector collaboration on data solutions.

"The potential economic value of federal government data is huge," he said. "The decennial census and American Community Survey data alone guides $400 billion in federal spending annually.

"When Commerce data are connected with other federal data, it can strengthen our economy and create better policy. This knowledge can maximize the potential of the internet, expand broadband capacity, enhance cybersecurity and deliver improved public services."

To advance that goal, NTIS agreed in October 2016 to work in concert with 35 organizations on federal data research projects through its Joint Venture Partner program, which provides agencies with data services to improve mission delivery.

NTIS Director Avi Bender said that the collaborative nature of the program would help drive innovation within government, and it is generating rich possibilities.

"The message I would like to get across today is that data management is a key catalyst for innovation within your organization. It’s about how you frame the problem statement. It’s about when you have the conversation and who you have the conversation with," he said.

"And I believe that to the extent that the private sector can be better engaged up front in helping federal agencies formulate the problem statements, I think we will do a much better job of delivering services to our citizens."

The Joint Venture Partner program includes a mix of large and small companies alongside esteemed university programs.

To highlight the ways agencies can better capitalize on their data programs, NTIS highlighted several projects underway — including the Food and Drug Administration’s mobile app Real-time Application for Portable Interactive Devices, or RAPID, and the Health and Human Services inspector general’s use of analytics for fraud investigations.

Bender said that agencies seeking NTIS' help on data innovations could see a solution plan crafted in 60-90 days. The office works with agencies on a problem statement, which NTIS then takes to its private sector partners to collaborate on a solution.

With agencies putting more focus on how analytics and data can provide better solutions, Bender said the government is best poised to collaborate with industry partners to take advantage of their innovations.

"The point here is that the private sector should play a much larger role in helping us through that," he said. "And that’s part of the sales point of the NTIS joint venture proposition, and the realization is through this business model that we have."