A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments

Analytics can make government work better—this book shows you how

A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments provides demonstrations of real-world analytics applications for legislators, policy-makers, and support staff at the federal, state, and local levels. Big data and analytics are transforming industries across the board, and government can reap many of those same benefits by applying analytics to processes and programs already in place. From healthcare delivery and child well-being, to crime and program fraud, analytics can—in fact, already does—transform the way government works. This book shows you how analytics can be implemented in your own milieu: What is the downstream impact of new legislation? How can we make programs more efficient? Is it possible to predict policy outcomes without analytics? How do I get started building analytics into my government organization? The answers are all here, with accessible explanations and useful advice from an expert in the field.

Analytics allows you to mine your data to create a holistic picture of your constituents; this model helps you tailor programs, fine-tune legislation, and serve the populace more effectively. This book walks you through analytics as applied to government, and shows you how to reap Big data's benefits at whatever level necessary.

• Learn how analytics is already transforming government service delivery
• Delve into the digital healthcare revolution
• Use analytics to improve education, juvenile justice, and other child-focused areas
• Apply analytics to transportation, criminal justice, fraud, and much more

Legislators and policy makers have plenty of great ideas—but how do they put those ideas into play? Analytics can play a crucial role in getting the job done well. A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments provides advice, perspective, and real-world guidance for public servants everywhere.

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xv

Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Marie Lowman

Child Welfare 4

Education 5

Healthcare 5

Prescription Drug Abuse 6

Criminal Justice and Public Safety 6

Smart Cities 7

Transportation 7

Fraud, Waste, and Abuse 8

Establishing a Center of Analytics 8

Chapter 2 Child Well-Being 11
Will Jones

Introduction 12

Data-Driven Culture 13

Data Sharing 16

Data Quality 18

Assessing Risk 22

Addressing the Perceived Limits of Analytics Pertaining to

Assessing Risk 25

Impact on Workforce 29

Notes 32

Chapter 3 Education 35
Nadja Young

Introduction 36

Build Your Engine—Build the Education Data

System Infrastructure 40

Use the Dashboard to Measure What Matters Most—Student

Learning Growth 42

Use the Navigation System to Guide Education Policy 47

Look through the Windshield with Predictive Analytics 56

Drive the Car and Use the Data 62

Notes 64

Chapter 4 Healthcare 67
Jeremy Racine

Role of the Government 68

The Challenge 72

Value-Based Care 89

Conclusion 96

Notes 97

Chapter 5 Prescription Drug Abuse 99
Steve Kearney

Introduction 100

National Initiatives 103

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs 106

Advanced Analytics 107

Health Outcomes 109

Notes 111

Chapter 6 Criminal Justice and Public Safety 113
David Kennedy

Improving Data Access and Data Quality 117

Analytics throughout the Justice and Public Safety

System 121

Conclusion 126

Notes 127

Chapter 7 Brilliant Analytics for Smart Cities 129
Jennifer Robinson

Smart Cities 131

Technologies in Smart City Solutions 133

Data Management 136

Analytics 137

Notes 150

Chapter 8 Transportation 151
Jim Trogdon

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) 152

The Role of Data and Analytics 154

Benefi ts of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles 155

National Focus on Adoption of Performance Measures 156

Safety Performance Measures 157

System Performance Measures 157

The Role of Data and Analytics 159

Benefi ts of Transportation Performance Management and

Improved Measures 162

Notes 163

Chapter 9 Fraud, Waste, and Abuse 165
Carl Hammersburg

Healthcare 167

Tax and the Underground Economy 170

Benefi ts Programs 172

Recommendations 174

Notes 177

Chapter 10 Center of Analytics 179
Kay Meyer

Why a Center of Analytics? 183

What Makes a Center of Analytics? 184

Building a Center of Analytics? 188

Notes 190

Appendix 191

Index 193

MARIE LOWMAN is a principal industry consultant-government at SAS Institute. For more than two decades, she has overseen SAS's commitment to helping government organizations provide high-quality services to their constituents, while maximizing resources and budgets.

Legislators, agency leaders, and support staff at federal, state, and local levels have unprecedented access to information and data on citizens. Advances in analytics, modeling, machine learning, reporting, and other technologies give civic leaders the power to better understand how government affects citizenry at every one of life's touchpoints, from childhood into adulthood. A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments shines a light on the best practices used by public service professionals at every level who are making better decisions through analytics.

From public health and child well-being to transportation and fraud fighting, this immediately useful guide shows how analytics are already transforming the way government works. Each one of the exceptional contributors—including a teacher, councilwoman, transportation secretary, doctor, criminal justice expert, and others—shares the strategies and techniques that can improve results with informed decisions.

Analytics can take the guesswork out of government programs and enable government leaders to enhance quality of life for citizens. This single resource describes how data and analytics can help:

• Social services be proactive in assisting youth and families by identifying the most at-risk children, as well as address internal concerns such as high turnover and caseworker safety
• Public health and substance abuse workers customize care and interventions, and combat the opioid epidemic from the abuser and provider sides
• City leaders turn their municipalities into "smart cities" by choosing the right projects that support a long-term strategy
• Public leaders craft a step-by-step plan to create a government data analytics center to serve as a streamlined, more cost- effective platform for data-driven solutions

The answers to better governance are out there, and A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments shows you how to find them in the data.

Praise for A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments

"In working with governments across the country, often what's needed for analytics is to just get started. This book is full of examples of typical problems and potential solutions that provide insight into how analytics can work in government. Practitioners from a variety of backgrounds and sectors will benefit from the compelling stories and practical guidance to get analytics off the ground."
—Eric Reese, Senior Implementation Advisor, Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University

"Accessible, applicable, relevant, and inspiring! Each chapter presents real-life examples of challenges and data-driven fixes that apply to our day-to-day government lives. These stories allow the reader to not only understand the process and value of data analytics, but inspire and empower the reader to act."
—Robert Phocas, J.D., M.E.M., Director of Sustainability, City of Charlotte, NC

"A Practical Guide to Analytics for Governments offers perfect examples of how governments can enhance success in policy development and implementation, improving effectiveness and efficiency in the achievement of desired outcomes. This book accurately describes how a government's investment in advanced analytics can provide a valuable tool in assuring solid policy decisions."
—Lanier M. Cansler, Former member of the North Carolina General Assembly and Former Secretary of the NC Department of Health and Human Services

"In many ways, modern government is information. A principal part of governing is to consume, understand, and act upon collected data. Politicians often argue about the effectiveness of specific government programs, but the truth can be revealed in collected data. This book highlights how big data and analytics can address many of our country's most pressing issues, while having a long-term positive impact on citizens."
—Shawn P. McCarthy, Research Director, IDC Government Insights