Tag: AWS Institute

This week, the bipartisan Open, Permanent, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act officially became law in the United States, requiring that non-sensitive data produced by US federal agencies be made publicly available in non-propriety and machine-readable formats by default. We have long supported this legislative proposal since it was first introduced in 2016, and commend both the Congressional leaders and the Administration for their commitment to making open data a priority.

The AWS Institute interviewed Natalie Evans Harris, co-founder and CEO of BrightHive and former senior policy advisor to the US Chief Technology Officer in the Obama administration. Harris founded the Data Cabinet, a federal data science community of practice with over 200 active members across more than 40 federal agencies, co-led a cohort of federal, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations to develop data-driven tools through the Opportunity Project, and established the Open Skills Community through the Workforce Data Initiative. She also led an analytics development center for the National Security Agency (NSA) that served as the foundation for NSA’s Enterprise Data Science Development program and became a model for other intelligence community agencies.

Sharing data requires more than just making it available for download or creating an API to access it. In many ways, sharing data is similar to shipping a software product. Just like software; data is made up of digital information; it requires documentation; it will be used by groups of users who may require support; and it may become vital to those users’ work. Another common characteristic of software is that it often gets updated over time as software developers learn from their users and adapt to new technologies.

The Amazon Web Services (AWS) Institute today released a briefing paper that illustrates how cities are using technology to enhance access to services and quality of life for their residents. As cities become home to the majority of the world’s population, leaders must ensure that urban infrastructure and services can accommodate growth, and that no one is left behind. Increasingly, they are turning to cloud technology for solutions to the challenges they are facing – from problems like traffic, parking, and waste management to public health crises and natural disasters.

As open data policies become commonplace, it is worth examining the history and value of open data, and discuss why we share it in the cloud. The idea of sharing data dates back at least to the 1950s, when the International Council of Scientific Unions established World Data Centers to facilitate sharing of data among scientists. In recent years, governments have created open data policies that require government agencies to share data with the public.

The rapidly changing job market and declining enrollment rates are forcing higher education leaders to rethink strategies for attracting students and helping them find jobs. At a private Amazon Web Services (AWS) Institute roundtable, 22 university and community college leaders agreed that they must adopt new models for success – including close collaboration with large employers, innovating beyond degrees with new certifications, and using technology to enhance students’ learning experiences.

As organizations increasingly rely on data to accomplish their goals, they are adding a new role in order to balance expertise in statistics, policy, management, leadership, and rapidly evolving technology: the chief data officer (CDO). Although individuals with the same set of responsibilities may hold many titles, there has been a rapid growth in the role of the CDO in recent years.

The AWS Institute teamed up with James Stewart, co-founder of the UK Government Digital Service and Deputy CTO of UK Government, and Manj Kalar, a public finance specialist, to turn this dialogue into actionable ideas. See their four recommendations below on “Budgeting for Change: Four Ways the UK Government Can Spend Smarter and Deliver Better,” which they discussed at the Institute for Government and will discuss next week at the AWS Public Sector Summit.

AWS and the Australian Signals Directorate Essential Eight, Melbourne Business School experiences 99.89% uptime with Amazon WorkSpaces, and five ways new technologies can shape the future of work – all on this month’s top blog roundup.

Technology adoption is a driver of inclusive growth. It helps people upskill and firms become more productive. As more organizations embrace digital transformation, it is often the result of deliberate choices. This starts with investing in current and future workers and businesses to prepare them to go digital, as the World Bank finds in its report about the relationship between technology adoption and equality of opportunity in the European Union.