Every program, every office and department of state government collects information in the course of its work. Doctors, educators and public safety officials are increasingly doing the same.
The Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC), an arm of the N.C. Department of Information Technology, is committed to helping state government and others use data to make better decisions. GDAC’s ongoing data programs and projects help to improve health, safety, criminal Justice, and education. Their collaborative work has also helped identify fraud and compliance activity in the state.
“GDAC has become a trusted partner and leader for enabling the sharing and analysis of data assets,” said John Correllus, the state’s Chief Data Officer.
Recognizing the value of this work, NCDIT has made the use of data assets one of its 10 priorities for the next 2-3 years.
Correllus emphasizes that GDAC’s success is a direct outcome of both fully leveraging technology and partnering with agency business experts. Those agencies typically come to GDAC with a business problem that they hope to resolve through the use of data and analytics.
“Almost every solution or analytic effort that GDAC works on has a positive impact on the lives of North Carolinians,” said Carol Burroughs, the GDAC Analytic Director. “Whether it’s improving health outcomes, protecting citizens, or measuring program effectiveness, we provide analytics to support informed decisions.”
In addition, the General Assembly continues to recognize the value of GDAC by increasing the size and complexity of the portfolio of programs and project over the past few years. Currently, GDAC has a portfolio of more than 30 programs and projects.
As the portfolio continues to expand along with expectations, GDAC also continues to manage two critical strategic initiatives – the Criminal Justice Law Enforcement Automated Data System (CJLEADS) and NC HealthConnex, the state’s Health Information Exchange (HIE). CJLEADS is the state’s central database of comprehensive information about criminal offenders. The system is used by more than 25,000 state, local and federal criminal justice professionals. The HIE, a growing part of GDAC since it was moved to the center about three years ago, enables health care providers to securely access patients’ clinical records to improve treatment and health. Both programs continue to evolve. CJLEADS recently released an easy-to-use interface that also integrates federal data, and the HIE continues to expand the number of health care providers connected to NC HealthConnex.
“Transforming data into information to facilitate decision support, increase operational efficiencies, and improve outcomes for the citizens of North Carolina is a great mission,” Correllus said.