i2 CEO Bob Griffin
With the nation’s debt ceiling looming, it has become clear that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle will not agree to new borrowing unless government spending cuts are included in that authorization. But when it comes to reducing outlays, the programs that make up the lion’s share of spending, and which are also the most contentious – nondiscretionary spending like entitlements and health care – are often put off for another day. If we’re going to have a meaningful, long-term impact on the fiscal well-being of our economy, this can’t continue. Fortunately, we have an option available that can make an immediate difference on one of the biggest budget busters, without eliminating any programs or forcing tough choices – tackling health care fraud by leveraging existing technologies. READ MORE 
I agree with the findings of the National Research Council as reported by Kellie Lunney at Government Executive. Analysts are born rather than taught. A subject matter expert can be a very valuable resource for the Intelligence Community (IC), but may not understand how best to analyze related data. Likewise, a true analyst may have no knowledge of the subject matter, but can quickly interpret the data. An analyst in the IC needs to understand how to take many different types of data and apply various analysis techniques. This may be best done in conjunction with a subject matter expert, who would be able to help the analyst understand the data set and suggest what the analyst’s finding could mean.
I also agree with the report’s suggestion that continuous training is essential for analysts. Training helps analysts stay fresh on their game and understand new techniques.
A true analyst is motivated by the work they do. When I performed analysis for the IC, I was excited to be at work because there was always more data to analyze. Visualizing new data and deciphering it with historic data to help fulfill my team’s mission is what brought me into work early each day. And I now get the opportunity to help enhance the work of other analysts in the IC with new techniques such as Social Network Analysis, and with other data sources such as geospatial data and open source.
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