Big data picking up steam in Utah

Utah is embracing big data in a number of ways, wrote Dave Fletcher, the state’s chief technology officer, on his blog.

“Big data is important, even in a small state like Utah,” Fletcher said.

He continued, “The tools that we use in government continue to improve and the underlying technologies supporting the data improve as well. It’s important that we also improve the capabilities of our knowledge workers who draw conclusions from and report on the data.”

Fletcher highlighted three initiatives the state is undertaking to use big data.

From the blog:

1.The Utah Data Alliance?I met with several of the people behind the Utah Data Alliance yesterday.  It’s focussed on education and is a partnership that includes the Utah Office of Education, the Utah System of Higher Education, the Department of Workforce Services, and the Utah College of Applied Technology.  The goal is to develop and maintain a comprehensive statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) to enable examination of educational progress and outcomes over time, from preschool, and K12 through postsecondary public education and into the workforce.?website: http://www.utahdataalliance.org

2.The Utah Community Data Project?The UCDP developed the Salt Lake City 2010 Atlas based on in depth small area data and is now looking to expand it’s mission statewide. UCDP plans to collect, store, and disseminate community data in an online system that is rich in graphic, tabular, and mapped information.?website: http://www.ucdp.utah.edu/

3.Utah Department of Health’s Big Data Project?The Office of Public Health Informatics is working on another big data project with very ambitious goals.  The Office aims to sift through hundreds of terabytes of data in order to better understand health issues in Utah and predict and respond to future events. It’s just getting underway and will tap into a number of large structured and unstructured data sources.?website: http://health.utah.gov/phi/