Cops, collection agencies turn to data analytics

GCN.com, By Ben Bain, Sep 13, 2010

Some cash-strapped state and local government agencies are seizing on business intelligence software for data analytics as a way to do more with less.

Agencies are increasing their use of these automated tools to cull through and analyze data for a variety of purposes, but two of the more prominent are law enforcement and revenue collection, as each is a primary responsibility for state and local governments.

Chris Dixon, manager of state and local industry analysis for market research firm Input, said law enforcement officials were using the technology to make policing efforts more intelligent even before the economic crisis. "On the law enforcement side I think that we are seeing a genuine transformational change in the nature of how policing is orchestrated at the strategic level within a community," he said.

Meanwhile, state and local governments' use of analytics tools to look for fraud and abuse related to payment and benefits programs appears to be more directly driven by the economic crisis. "Right now it looks like more of cyclically-driven interest because of the desperation of the budget offices to get a grip on things," he said.

Dixon estimates the annual state and local government market for such products to be about $750 million.

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