As a member of the data sharing and evidence building community, I’m pleased to share a letter I penned to the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building. Within the letter, my Mathematica colleagues and I walk through the challenges and opportunities inherent in using data and evidence to support informed decision making. We describe key factors that are paving the way toward progress at the federal level and within state, and local governments. This includes: opportunities to build states’ capacity to collect, store, and analyze data; the advantages of a National Secure Data Service; high-impact data uses for evidence-based policymaking; and digital tools to help governments overcome challenges in building and using evidence.
We’re pleased to be able to respond to the Advisory Committee’s request for comment published in this Federal Register announcement. Ultimately, my hope is that Mathematica and my colleagues throughout the data community will help inform the committee’s work and facilitate important discussions among committee members, federal agencies, and others.
Paul Decker, Mathematica’s President and Chief Executive Officer