Data and Analytical Infrastructure

The ability of democratic institutions to justify their actions depends on transparent, accessible, and reliable data. Data systems allow governments to monitor activities, justify decisions, and provide evidence to sustain legitimacy. Yet, long-standing norms of data siloing, limited sharing, and restricted access have weakened the capacity to track and evaluate government operations effectively. Opaque practices and the sheer complexity of administrative tasks have hindered the realization of “open government.” The rise of AI introduces both opportunities and risks, heightening the need for state-of-the-art data protocols that reinforce transparency, accountability, and equity.

The Data and Analytical Infrastructure CoP of ARRC will explore questions relating to data access, curation, and the development of modern infrastructure for tracking administrative operations. Questions addressed by the Data and Analytical Infrastructure CoP of ARRC include:

• What ideal data systems architecture is needed to support the development of a comprehensive administrative state model?

• Can an ontology of federal agency public reporting be developed and maintained (CBJs, OIG reports, GAO reports)?

• How can we work to standardize data to inform evaluation of impact of federal shifts to state and local governments and for and non-profit sectors?

• What are priorities for data collection, for new initiatives, or to supplement suspended federal government efforts (as in disaster data)?

• How can generative AI, blockchain, or other tools be leveraged to expand transparency and public participation while safeguarding data integrity?