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TechAmerica Foundation Big Data Commission

Data in the world is doubling every 18 months. Across government everyone is talking about the concept of Big Data, and how this new technology will transform the way Washington does business. But looking past the excitement, questions abound. What is Big Data, really? How is it defined? What capabilities are required to succeed? How do you use Big Data to make intelligent decisions? How will agencies effectively govern and secure huge volumes of information, while protecting privacy and civil liberties? And perhaps most importantly, what value will it really deliver to the US Government and the citizenry we serve?

To help answer these questions, and provide guidance to our Government’s senior policy and decision makers, TechAmerica Foundation is pleased to announce the formation of the Big Data Commission.

For more information about the Big Data Commission or other related activities, please contact Chris Wilson, chris.wilson@techamericafoundation.org or (202) 682-4451.

 

Commission Leadership

Commission Leadership
Steven A. Mills Senior Vice President and Group Executive Software & Systems IBM Corporation
Steve Lucas Global Executive Vice President and General Manager SAP Database & Technology
Teresa Carlson Vice President Global Public Sector Amazon Web Services
Bill Perlowitz Chief Technology Officer Science, Technology and Engineering Group Wyle
Dr. Michael Rappa Director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics and Distinguished University Professor North Carolina State University
Dr. Leo Irakliotis Dean and National Director for the College of Information Technology Western Governors University (WGU)

The Big Data Commission is chaired by Steven A. Mills, Senior Vice President and Group Executive, Software & Systems, IBM Corporation and Steve Lucas, Global Executive Vice President and General Manager, SAP Database & Technology. Serving as vice chairs of the commission are Teresa Carlson, Vice president Global Public Sector, Amazon Web Services and Bill Perlowitz, Chief Technology Officer, Science, Technology and Engineering Group, Wyle.

Serving as the Academic Co-Chairs will be Dr. Michael Rappa, founding director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at North Carolina State University and principal architect of its Master of Science in Analytics degree; and Dr. Leo Irakliotis, Dean and National Director for the College of Information Technology at Western Governors University (WGU).

 

Commission Members

The commission membership is comprised of leading experts on big data and representing both industry and academia, along with a government advisory board with the objective of providing guidance on how Government Agencies should be leveraging Big Data to address their most critical business imperatives, and how Big Data can drive U.S. innovation and competitiveness. A full list of the commission membership can be found here.

 

Commission Goals

The Commission will focus on demystifying the term “Big Data,” understanding the velocity, variety and complexity of data, and defining the key business outcomes and use cases Big Data will serve. Areas of focus will include: sensor networks; social networks; social media data analysis, astronomy, atmospheric science, genomics, biological, and other complex and/or interdisciplinary scientific research; military surveillance; medical records; photography archives; video archives; and large-scale e-Commerce. Discussions regarding privacy, security, intellectual property, mobile technology, “Internet of Things,” “free flow of information,” and cloud computing are likely. The Commission will explain “Big Data,” the scope of data collection and metadata generation, the “art of the possible:” in business analytics and visualization, and help prioritize policy debates.

With the unveiling of the federal government’s $200 Million Big Data Research and Development Initiative and with the privacy and cybersecurity policy debates quite active, the timing is excellent for industry to help accelerate the pace of discovery in science and engineering, strengthen our national security, and transform teaching and learning.

Commission activity is being conducted through TechAmerica Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit and non-partisan affiliate of TechAmerica.

 

About TechAmerica Foundation

TechAmerica Foundation educates industry executives, policy makers and opinion leaders on the promise of technological innovation to advance prosperity, security and the general welfare. Launched in 1981, the Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan affiliate of TechAmerica, the leading voice and resource for the U.S. technology industry. The Foundation disseminates award-winning industry, policy and market research covering topics such as U.S. competitiveness in a global economy, innovation in government, and other areas of national interest. It also organizes conferences and seminars to explore pertinent issues with government and industry representatives and to share the Foundation’s findings.