By Kent Cunningham, BDM – Applied Innovation, Microsoft US Public Sector

Kent Cunningham The amount of data and statistics available in government today is overwhelming to navigate, and finding innovative ways to mine this data for faster decision making and better planning is an incredible challenge. Today we have an abundance of budget data, health records, justice statistics, and economic indicators which all have relevant linkages and abilities to drive public efficiencies, but the ability to rapidly query these diverse collections to extract true value is extremely challenging.  This scenario is pervasive across the board today in the way we search for unique content. This complexity is largely attributable to the traditional technologies that we have used for searching, tagging, and presenting data. 

To help address these common challenges, Microsoft Live Labs recently introduced a research project called “Pivot” which is specifically designed to help users find information more easily.  Pivot is much different than traditional, one-dimensional search methods because it provides the controls to easily customize data representations toward the needs and background of the user, all while reaching across vast data sets of information.  Pivot also shows the linkages between available content types which enables the user to "view the web as a web", versus continually searching for relevant information across numerous data sets to arrive at a cohesive solution.  By visualizing hidden patterns, Pivot allows users to interact with countless amounts of data in a unique way.  For a great demo of this technology, please see the PDC Video of Pivot on http://www.getpivot.com .

Recently I was working with a Public Utility on a business park development which required days of online research to scour the various websites and data sets involved in my complex query.  Our project required information on applicable parcels which were: (1) zoned appropriately, (2) had adequate acreage, (3) were within fifty miles of a major airport with onsite rail access, (4) were not developed over/near mines, and (5) had immediate access to dual power options and dual fiber connections from major providers.   As you can imagine, this was quite an arduous process which is similar to what many citizens face when trying to productively consume pertinent information within the Public Sector.  The challenge for both developers and citizens is that masses of unlinked information is stored in various private collections which do not provide a mechanism for cross-referencing and customizing these searches today.  In contrast, imagine being able to list your unique requirements for a property inquiry, a tax scenario, military benefits, or even get detailed information on educational or research grants that is relevant to your specific needs. 

Now imagine being able to use the same search engine to quickly accomplish all of these tasks in a matter of seconds, versus reading through links of information on various sites to determine the guidelines and limitations of each service.  Delivering this simplicity and relevance is the specific challenge which Pivot has undertaken, and the possibilities are endless! The impact of the Pivot technology is very exciting in Public Sector as developers work to create collections from data in existing online services (such as http://www.data.gov ), apply collections as a front end to SharePoint, and/or use collections as a front end to desktop search which include linkages to photo repositories and social networks for crowd-sourcing solutions to common citizen challenges.  To learn more about this exciting new technology or to share ideas for Public Sector solutions using Pivot, please visit http://www.getpivot.com or  Join our technical discussion to interact directly with the Pivot development team. 

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