What kinds of data sets have the most impact towards public good? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by DJ Patil, U.S. Chief Data Scientist, on Quora:
What kinds of data sets have the most impact towards public good?
I got my start using data from the National Weather Service at NOAA. I’m convinced that one of the reasons our weather forecasting is so good is because we open up the data (and now even the models!).
Another one is the data sets that the Department of Transportation has released on traffic fatalities. Every day one hundred people die from vehicle-related accidents. This data set was opened up three months early and we need everyone to study it to help figure out what we should do from a policy perspective.
I’m also very excited by the data that is being opened up in healthcare. I think we’re just beginning to really understand the power of the data that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is opening up. Another one is going to be the Precision Medicine Initiative. This is going to be an amazing data set.
Interested in cancer? Check out the work under the Precision Medicine Initiative called the Genomic Data Commons.
A big area where open data can have an impact is in community policing. The President announced the Police Data Initiative and I think it’s a great opportunity to increase transparency and develop new tools to help. Here’s a great example of how it can work and does open data build trust.
For more data check out Data.gov!
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