Councils could use “cognitive computing” techniques to analyse reams of data they collect in order to improve services and save money according to writer Mark Say.
In an article for PublicTechnology.net, Say explains how the new approach works, and how local authorities can use technology to find patterns in Big Data and provide support for policy making.
According to Say, such data might include the proximity of fast food outlets to schools, whether there are safe playgrounds and the transport options for taking part in organised sport.
Say says: “There’s little discipline in all this data, and a cognitive system can refine and correlate it to run simulations on more coordinated services to support public health.”
But he also warms that there may be limits to the use of the technology, particularly in areas relating to life-and-death decisions, where human experts will still need to play the leading role.
Read the article: A vision of the cognitive council