Unlocking Opportunity: Economic Development through Open Data

Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss the value of #OpenData at the #EDA2016. The Economic Development Administration’s 2016 National Conference held in Washington DC, is where hundreds of regional and local economic development professionals, non-profit and private partners, and federal, state, tribal and local officials explore the top issues facing communities today relating to improving competitiveness, job growth, innovation and overall quality of life.

According to the McKinsey Global Institute Report, #OpenData could add more than $3 Trillion in total value annually to the education, transportation, consumer products, electricity, oil and gas, healthcare, and consumer finance sectors worldwide.

This is the aim of the Commerce Data Service, where Secretary Pritzker has made #Data a key pillar of the Commerce’s strategic plan — to open Commerce data to spur innovation, job growth and improve our quality of life.

For example, I highlighted our Commerce Data Service’s, “New Exporters Initiative,” that will inform new strategies for communicating and connecting with businesses to encourage exporting; serve as a test bed for optimizing how services are offered and delivered to business across different industries and operationalize a vision for data-driven government.

The impact of this will be more jobs and significant US economy activity.

I highlighted the power of contextualizing and illuminating #OpenData — the goal of the Commerce Data Usability project (CDUP). When I asked the audience if they believed that #OpenData can currently help them find their customers and users, very few people raised their hands. However, the Commerce Data Service provides very specific detail on doing just that using data from the Census American Community Survey (ACS). See http://commercedataservice.github.io/tutorial_acs_rank/.

#OpenData from the Department can help businesses understand their computer security (http://commercedataservice.github.io/tutorial_nist_nvd/), find affordable housing options for their employees (http://commercedataservice.github.io/tutorial_zillow_acs/), help them determine weather risk (http://commercedataservice.github.io/tutorial_noaa_hail/), help predict rainfall and flooding issues (http://commercedataservice.github.io/tutorial_mapbox_part1/), help them determine hotbeds of human activity — using satellite data (http://commercedataservice.github.io/tutorial_viirs_part1/ ), and help them with water management concerns (http://commercedataservice.github.io/tutorial_earthgenome/)

We have an amazing opportunity in front of us — fueling economic growth and innovation through #OpenData.

We at the Commerce Data Service are playing our part in making this happen and want you to use the platforms that we are creating for you. Help us unlock economic development through #OpenData.