This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Building a data driven public sector (DDPS)

On 16th May 2024 I led a 90 minute session as part of the Digital Academy Masterclass, hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan’s Innovation and Digital Development Agency, and delivered by Digital Nation.

I’ve broken the presentation into 4 parts. After an introduction, this is Part 1 considering the potential of data to deliver public value; Part 2 asked how do we go about building a data-driven public sector; and Part 3 explored how to unlock the value of data without losing public trust.

Unless otherwise indicated or an obvious screenshot, the images were generated by ChatGPT.

So let’s start with understanding the transformative potential of data in delivering public value. 

The volume of data we generate and the importance we place on it is growing exponentially, but the critical question is: how effectively are we harnessing this data?

Let’s consider the numbers. 

In 2010 the world as a whole generated 2 zettabytes of data. Last year that figure was put at a staggering 120 zettabytes of data. To put that in some perspective, one zettabyte equals a trillion gigabytes.

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