Author: Jessica Hagins
When NCDIT was established nearly 10 years ago, many of the data integration endeavors being undertaken were structured under the Government Data Analytics Center, known as GDAC. The Data Division was a broad term used to be more inclusive of the business operations outside of GDAC.
Chief Data Officer and GDAC Director Christie Burris has led the charge for the strategic name change to make it clear that the office’s work extends into every cabinet agency and many council of state agencies.
“When we build trusted relationships and enable and empower our stakeholders with use of their data, we are leaning into the vision of a data-driven government,” Burris said.
The Enterprise Data Office includes four major business units:
The N.C. Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (CGIA) is responsible for the state’s geographic data and geospatial data solutions.
The N.C. Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA) oversees the state-designated health information exchange, NC HealthConnex. This system helps give providers across North Carolina a more complete picture of a patient’s health by sharing clinical, encounter and claims data.
The Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC) is responsible for the management of data sharing and integration initiatives to help improve efficiency and service delivery by state agencies, institutions and departments.
The N.C. Longitudinal Data Service (NCLDS) provides secure, privacy-protected access to data linked across time and data sources to help North Carolina address critical policy and research questions.
The name change comes with a new mission and vision statement for the office:
Vision: To be the trusted partner for enabling a data-driven government.
Mission: To empower leaders to make informed decisions that improve outcomes for North Carolina through the preparation, sharing, analysis, and management of the state’s data.
Future priorities include creating an Enterprise Data Center of Excellence to serve as a go-to resource for state agencies and the creation of an Enterprise Data Coordinating Council comprised of state agency partners. The council would tackle similar challenges in a collaborative environment on important topics such as increasing employee awareness of the importance of data stewardship, increasing data literacy, reviewing data quality for generative AI purposes and championing data sharing initiatives and data management tools, among others.