Weather Data, Cybersecurity and Workforce Skills Focus of Upcoming Data Advisory Council

Cross blog post by Ian Kalin, Chief Data Officer, DOC and Co-Chair of the Commerce Data Advisory Council

As "America's Data Agency", the U.S. Department of Commerce delivers the most valuable open government data to businesses than any other federal government organization. We strive to continually improve the dissemination and use of this data. Through the Commerce Data Advisory Council, the department has an opportunity to engage directly with industry leaders to get recommendation on how to improve our operations and refine our vision.

On October 29-30, we will be hosting the third Commerce Data Advisory Council meeting in Boulder, Colorado. The focus of this meeting will be on identifying new ways to disseminate the troves of weather-related data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), enhancing cyber security standards across the country, and identifying strategies to recruit and train a federal workforce with the cutting-edge skills necessary for a 21st century data-driven government.

The Advisory Council will welcome a suite of expert presentations, including:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Getting Data To Our Customers – Tom Karl, NOAA
  • NOAA's Big Data Project – Brian Eiler, NOAA
• CDAC Member Presentations
• Converting Data In Action – Katy Borner, Indiana University
• Discovery and Use of Commerce Data from Small Businesses – Karin Remington, Arjuna Solutions
• Commerce Update and Response to CDAC Recommendations – Ian Kalin, Department of Commerce (DOC)
• Data Workforce Talent and Skills – Kevin Mahoney, DOC
• Commerce Data Security & Supporting Infrastructure – Steve Cooper, DOC
• NIST Cybersecurity Reference Materials – Matthew Scholl, National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Data Workforce and Talent
• Cybersecurity

View the full agenda of the meeting.

As with all Federal Advisory Councils, this event is open the public. For those unable to attend in-person, we encourage you to follow along via the Live Stream (available the morning of Oct. 29) and participate via Twitter using #CDACmtg. Be sure to follow @CommerceGovData for the latest news from the meeting.

The Commerce Data Advisory Council exists to maximize the positive impacts of Commerce data on society. Conversations like these will help to fuel economic growth by making it easier for businesses, communities, and citizens to access, analyze, and use the data. By leveraging advances in data science, software development, and standards to accelerate product innovations, the recommendations stemming from these meetings will help to create a data-driven government.