In this article by Stanley S. Litow titled How to Save America’s Cities with Data Analytics, Mr. Litow describes a very interesting scenario: Companies and civic agencies developing innovative partnerships with city leaders that leverage data to make better decisions and address the greater good. 

Mr. Litow touches on the growing reality that billions of transistors will be embedded in everything from police records to parking meters. City leaders can analyze the resulting data tsunami to gain new insights, and perhaps find ways to make their cities work better. This perspective underscores the notion that data from an ever growing number of sources represents a pathway to better decisions – and it’s not just limited to corporations. 

Advanced analytics is positioned for widespread adoption. The critical need for improved decision making across companies and governments will continue to put a premium on the insight found in data. The growing amount of organizational data, social data, and data from an instrumented world, provides for a wealth of insight. Yet organizations will need to be creative as they adopt advanced analytic strategies. Delivering the right outcomes from analytic initiatives requires the right technology and a skill set that will increasingly be in high demand. Partnerships such as those described in this article make a great deal of sense. 2011 is already showing signs that analytics is growing in importance.