Educational Infrastructure for Data-Driven Performance: Chief Data Officers in the Big Data Era

摘要

High-quality data and data analytics are two inter-related areas in the era of big data. Leading organizations are rapidly appointing Chief Data/Digital Officers (CDO) and Chief Analytic Officers (CAO) for competitive advantages and strategic necessities. Gartner Inc. reported that more than one thousand CDO/CAO positions have been established as of 2017, a tenfold increase from 2013; and the trend is growing steadily in both public and private sectors. As such, it is critical to provide training and education, which are based on rigorous and relevant research. The Institute for Chief Data Officers (iCDO) established by the State Department of Higher Education in 2016, anchored in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, was conceived to address these critical issues. In this paper, we report our progress in the following areas: CDO training programs and on research using publicly available federal data to improve defense acquisition policies, contract, and procurement processes.