The true value of mobility, big data, and the cloud emerges when agencies combine all three to assist employees work more effectively.
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One of my favorite television programs, the enduring 24, features fictional characters Jack Bauer, an excellent-agent, and Chloe O’Brian, a perfect-systems analyst. They exercise session of la for a fictional government agency called the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU). The show, that is slated for a reboot in about a months, first aired presently after the 9/11 attacks, but its early portrayal of 2 technology forces — big data and mobility — still resonates today.
A typical episode may need Jack, in imminent danger and with the civilized world hanging inside the balance, calling from the sphere (using a flip phone) and asking Chloe to drag up the electric grid of l. a. , analyze any anomalies, and superimpose known terrorist activity within the last 24 hours. “If i do not get the knowledge in 60 seconds, the terrorists are setting off the suitcase nuke!”
Big data and mobility have moved into mainstream society today. But add the emerging power of cloud technology, and that they could change the way in which government and society work.
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Using today’s technology, Jack Bauer could probably pull up schematics on his own smartphone along with his computerized personal Siri-type assistant. (Will we call her Chloe?)
Agencies have already begun moving in that direction and are using mobility of their enterprises. Recently the FBI standardized at the Samsung S4 and the iPad for its smartphones and tablets. The Defense Department plans to release its completed MDM platform soon, for you to allow military personnel to exploit iPhones and Samsung devices on military networks.
Government agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) gives 24 viewers an early have a look at the flexibility of mobility and large data.
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Almost all agencies have moved clear of a BlackBerry-only approach. One reason is that using a BlackBerry may indicate that you just work for the united states government, since much of the sector has switched to other devices. It is particularly relevant for State Department or intelligence community workers, because carrying a telltale device could put them at unnecessary and life-threatening risk.
Some agency IT shops think they could hoist the “mission accomplished” banner now that they have got delivered the brand new mobile devices for which their bosses and agency employees have clamored. Not so fast. The genuine value of those devices comes from the confluence of cloud, mobility, and large data. What if a law enforcement agent could access his case management system and update it in real time? Better yet, what if an agent could take an image of somebody of interest and feature her device access half a dozen private and non-private systems to acquire a scouting report on a probable suspect?
Most big data experts in government IT appear to cope with the systems analyst crowd — i.e., the Chloes of the realm. However the real opportunities lie in engaging field operatives and using big data tools to complete an agency’s mission.
Intel and law enforcement just isn’t the sole ones to learn from big data. The 2020 Census, as an instance, would require 500,000 temporary workers. Manual dispatch requires enormous overhead in personnel. What if big data were used to schedule dispatches systematically and dynamically, allowing for sick days, weather, traffic situations, and other factors?
Of course, big data capability on a smartphone has its downsides: Data falling into the incorrect hands could compromise missions. However, contextually aware tools designed for giant data and other technologies currently available could also mitigate a number of those risks.
Big data mobile capabilities promise to assist agency workers close criminal investigations, complete surveys, manage operatives, and attain other missions more efficiently — even perhaps as impressively as Jack Bauer.
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Tom Suder is President and founding father of Mobilegov, Strategic Advisor to the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation and coaching, and an active leader inside the federal mobility community. His work as Industry Chair of ACT-IAC’s Advanced Mobility Working … View Full Bio
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