IBM Opens Advanced Analytics Center in Washington, D.C.

On Nov. 10, IBM announced the opening of the sixth in a network of analytics solution centers -- this one dedicated to helping federal agencies and other public-sector organizations extract actionable insights from their data.

The new IBM Analytics Solution Center in Washington, D.C., will draw on the expertise of more than 400 IBM professionals. These will include IBM researchers, experts in advanced software platforms and consultants with deep industry knowledge in areas such as transportation, social services, public safety, customs and border management, revenue management, defense, logistics, health care and education. IBM also plans to add an additional 100 professionals, through retraining or new hiring, as demand grows.

The center's staff will work with federal agencies and other clients to apply breakthrough streaming technologies, mathematical algorithms and modeling. Using these tools, IBM will help clients optimize individual business decisions, processes and entire business models, as well as manage risk and fraud, with the goal of improving the delivery of public services.

The new center will be located in IBM's Institute for Electronic Government at 1301 K Street, N.W. It will serve as the hub for collaboration with federal agencies, academia and other institutions in the Washington metro area on analytics projects ranging from transportation and social services to defense logistics and homeland security systems. Washington, D.C. was chosen as the location for the new center because of its access to leading thinkers on the future of government systems, innovations taking place within the U.S. federal government and the dozens of universities in the area.

"Just as analytics is being widely adopted in corporate America to help companies achieve their business goals, there are almost limitless opportunities for the public sector to improve efficiency, effectiveness and overall performance through analytics," said Anne Altman, general manager of IBM's Global Public Sector. "This center will enable greater collaboration on projects that leverage data in real time to aid in decision-making and enhance citizens' lives."