A few weeks before the 9\/11 terrorist attacks, authorities in Minnesota detained Zacarias Moussaoui for immigration-related issues. Moussaoui, known now as one of the masterminds of the attacks, was arrested with a laptop, two knives, Boeing 747 training manuals and flight simulator software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moussaoui\u2019s detainment was one of several clues that foreshadowed the terror attacks; one, however, that officials were unable to piece together. As the 9\/11 Commission would later discover, intelligence officials had already detained and questioned an al-Qaeda operative who said he trained with Moussaoui in a camp in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ability to connect Moussaoui and the items in his possession with the stories from this al-Qaeda operative could have disrupted, if not derailed, the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe U.S. government has access to a vast amount of information … the storehouse is immense,\u201d the 9\/11 Commission wrote in 2004. \u201cBut the U.S. government has a weak system for processing and using what it has.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government has made much progress since then, including better coordination, oversight and information gathering. But while agencies are awash in more data than ever, they still struggle to make important connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of that challenge is in fielding the best technology. However, human nature \u2014 specifically, judgment bias \u2014 also can undermine decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moving past bias<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
These biases are likely not intentional, but rather part of the human condition that skews our decision-making by our own personal experiences, influences and limitations. Each of us comes with a litany of biases that create cognitive limitations. Understanding these limitations can help leaders take steps to combat them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, simply understanding human limitations to decision-making isn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By now, agencies should have technical support for the vast quantities of data they are holding. That\u2019s where data analytics comes in. Data analytics can step in where humans struggle to make sense of large amounts of data to make sound, defensible decisions for positive outcomes and efficient operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digging in to analytics<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Analytics can make sense of large amounts of data, finding connections that human analysts miss. Through data mining, forecasting and predictive analysis, such programs can provide the statistical basis for a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe the data tells a different story than what is imagined, or maybe it confirms a previous belief. Either way, analytics can add authority to the decision-making process, helping guide human behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s look at some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The path forward<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Federal agencies face a difficult task. They oversee large budgets and often have life-or-death responsibilities. All of this comes under intense scrutiny from lawmakers and the public. Making the right decision is not always easy, even when intentions are in the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Analytics can help bring clarity and evidence to the decision-making process. Analytics not only provide insights that can limit the impacts of human biases, but also serve as justification for action. Analytics can help ensure that government officials make the best, fastest and lowest-cost decisions based on the best available data and evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steve Bennett, Ph.D., currently the director of SAS\u2019 Global Government Practice, is the former director of the National Biosurveillance Integration Center within the Department of Homeland Security. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How unlocking data’s full potential can enable government to identify and mitigate its judgement bias.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":26,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[104,106,31,33,26,22],"tags":[],"coauthors":[5385],"class_list":["post-12277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acquisition-update","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-newsletters","category-opinions","category-thought-leadership"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"K23QIICHGVEEJM5ABWILBJHNQA","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinions\/2019\/03\/27\/the-need-for-analytics-in-government-decision-making\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n