The United States abounds in databases both public and private but most of federal government data
remain in unstructured formats and residing in inaccessible servers. A recent push towards an open
data policy has achieved some gains but the incompatibility among data formats has been a big
headache.
Researchers at George Mason University have unveiled a data engine that mines through textual data
that fills federal and state databases.
Predictive Analytics Times reports:
“The goal of the GTE is to collect political datasets, structure them, provide insights into the politician’s
views, and observe trends throughout the years on issues that Americans care about the most. Using
streamed data and live data visualizations, the system introduces predictions, correlations, and quick
conclusions into policies and their effect on the country.”“The power of the GTE system is illustrated in the quick insights driven from the textual data…The
eventual goal is to increase government accountability, mend transparency issues, and improve national
discussions regarding policy making.”
