Infotech Lead America: A new study released by the TechAmerica Foundation commissioned by SAP AG revealed that 87 percent of federal IT officials and 75 percent of state IT officials feel Big Data can have real and immediate impacts on how efficiency in governments and the quality of citizens’ lives, particularly in health and public safety sectors.
According to a survey of nearly 200 public IT officials, conducted by Penn Schoen and Berland, 83 percent of federal IT officials say Big Data solutions can help government cut the federal budget by at least 10 percent, or $380 billion, ie; about $1,200 per American for example by detecting improper healthcare payments before they occur.
According to 87 percent of federal IT officials and 75 percent of state IT officials, the use of real-time Big Data solutions will save a significant number of lives each year for example, by improving medical treatments. Medical researchers could use big data to aggregate information about healthcare outcomes to reveal patterns that lead to more effective treatments and detection of outbreaks.
Police departments are currently using Big Data technology to develop predictive models about when and where crimes are likely to occur, helping dramatically reduce the overall crime rate in specific locations. 75 percent of state IT officials find practical uses of Big Data in medicine and public safety extremely beneficial.
Real-time Big Data helps the government improve the quality of citizens’ lives by gaining insight into huge volumes of data across agencies. The government can provide improved, personalized services to citizens by processing this information.
The survey also revealed cultural and practical barriers to adoption, mainly including privacy concerns, according to 47 percent of federal IT officials. The expense of new tools, the level of investment needed and Return on investment (ROI) was a cause of concern for 39 percent of federal and state IT officials. 42 percent of federal IT officials cited lack of clarity about Big Data’s level of ROI as another barrier.
Across both state and federal IT officials, about 40 percent say database queries take too long using traditional database technology.
