Public sector agencies have always faced big questions. And as they regularly look at their private sector counterparts, they wonder, “Why can’t we move as fast as them? Why can’t my agency also benefit from big data, AI, and now, Generative AI”. A major challenge has always been being confident that you have the right questions and knowing how you’re going to answer them with data and analytics.
It’s not just about buying a new piece software but also figuring out how to use it for what you want to do. To do so, a proper prototype or proof of concept is needed to get buy-in and to learn what else is needed to ensure adoption. And that’s where many efforts to innovate fail before they even start – PoCs need money and commitment, that’s not always available quickly. And by the time the approvals are in, everyone has moved on to something else.
And that low-cost need for speed is just where hackathons can help. In recent SAS Hackathons, hundreds of teams decided to focus on how data can be managed, visualized and used in analytics / AI models to address a range of interesting public sector questions, ranging from how to engage citizens through to flood prediction.
And this year, with GenAI co-pilots, synthetic data generation and a new open-source friendly environment, it has me wondering – what are we going to see at the 2024 SAS Hackathon?
A wide range of use cases
There are many possible use cases for analytics in government and public services. In the last few years, hackathon teams have explored use cases such as:
What will you choose to hack?
Oh, why don’t we call this what it is – a call to action. You could keep coming up with great ideas to improve your agency’s work. But they might never become reality. How many opportunities a year will you have to test that idea in a way that translates to the realities of public sector agencies?
If what you’ve read so far whets your appetite to see how data and analytics can change your organisation’s approach or services, join the #SASHackathon 2024. Prove that your pet analytics project will work without jumping through too many hoops. Bring your ideas and knowledge (and maybe your data), and SAS will bring industry-leading software and experts to help you on your way.
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Are you ready for the spotlight? We're accepting content ideas for SAS Innovate 2025 to be held May 6-9 in Orlando, FL. The call is open until September 25. Read more here about why you should contribute and what is in it for you!
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