National Informatics Centre (NIC) and National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI) have jointly set up a Centre of Excellence for data analytics to support Government departments to unlock the hidden potential of the data that they are generating as part of the governance processes and use it to improve the overall governance. Launch of Centre of Excellence for Data Analytics (CEDA) is being held on 28th September, 2018 (Friday) by the Hon’ble Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of State, Electronics & Information Technology, as part of Workshop on Data Analytics in Government. The event will be attended by several dignitaries from the Central Government.

NIC as a premier technology advisor and ICT solution provider to Government at all levels, has always taken the first step to introduce the latest technologies and services in government, be it the introduction of ICT in Government, establishment of NICNET or National Knowledge Network (NKN), development of critical e-Governance solutions and a host of other services required by the Government. NICSI is a trusted partner of NIC and has been instrumental in supporting all NIC’s initiatives through provisioning of resources and establishing & managing ICT infrastructure such as National Data Center at Shastri Park, Development Center, Cloud infrastructure etc. Recognizing the emerging digital ecosystem, challenges and opportunities, CEDA is envisaged to kick-start and fast track the adoption of advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities and make it the locus of expertise for the Government department in this avant garde field.

Centre of Excellence for Data Analytics (CEDA) is being set up with the sole vision of kick-starting and fast-tracking the adoption of advanced analytic and machine learning capabilities by making the Centre the locus of expertise and excellence in the field of Data Analytics. The centre shall provide quality data analytic services to government departments at all levels by identifying appropriate tools and technologies and deploying people with right expertise.

Through its focused efforts, the centre aims to provide data analytics services to the government and help in solving complex policy issues through data-driven decision making so as to ensure effective formulation and implementation of various development initiatives that will ultimately benefit the citizens.

CEDA proposes to establish strong partnerships with academia and industry to ensure that the cutting edge technologies and quality expertise are brought in to help the Government take advantage of the booming analytic wave. The centre also proposes to build tools and technologies, in collaboration with academia and industry, which will provide quality tools at a much lower cost to the government.

As part of its service offerings, it will help the departments

a.   Understand their business requirements and define their analytic needs

b.    Identify the data sets that are required to meet the analytic needs

c.     Determine access to the relevant data sources (both within as well as outside the government)

d.    Build the required data analytic solutions

e.    In integrating departmental data silos and deliver an integrated whole-of government analytics for an integrated policy formulation.

NNK/MD