With transformative technologies such as AI and Machine Learning, government agencies can help achieve goals, detect fraud, and create data-driven strategies. Chief Data Scientist and ODS Acting Associate Director at NTIS, US Department of Commerce Chakib Chraibi joins tech transforms to discuss his insights on helping the US Federal agencies and citizens use data to enhance any mission.

Episode Table of Contents

• [00:53] Delivering Transformative Data Solutions
• [09:00] AI Has Very Transformative Data and Technology
• [18:12] How Transformative Data Identifies Fraudsters
• [29:10] Virtual Reality

Episode Links and Resources

• Chakib Chraibi
• NTIS
• Data Strategy
• Immersive Van Gogh
• Baudelaire
• Deep Learning with Python

Delivering Transformative Data Solutions

Carolyn: Today, we got to talk to Dr. Chakib Chraibi. He’s the Chief Data Scientist in the US Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, or NTIS, and acting associate director for the Office of Data Services. He provides expertise and assistance to government agencies in harnessing innovative technologies and delivering data-driven solutions to achieve mission impact within the NTIS framework. Chakib, welcome to Tech Transforms.

Let's start with a brief overview of your role at NTIS as well as the role of NTIS within government agencies.

Chakib: NTIS is a bureau within the US Department of Commerce. We want to think about NTIS as the best-kept secret in government. What I'm going to say about NTIS is going to resonate with a lot of our listeners. NTIS is a very interesting agency that is focused on data science and data innovation. It was created shortly after the Second World War.

The main task at that point was to gather all the information collected from the Second World War that dealt with technical research, et cetera. It became a repository of information for the government. They dealt with any technical papers or publications from the civilian side. But in the 1990s, the internet happened. And so, we're still doing that. We have one of the largest libraries. We're continuing collecting that information, but Congress has thought about focusing us on a different mission at that time. It is actually a great idea, and which is about data science.

Our Main Focus at NTIS

Chakib: Currently, that's our main focus at NTIS. We provide a unique pathway for federal agencies towards innovation and digital transformation. We have an authority from Congress that allows us to seek out their partners from the industry, from academic institutions, nonprofits, to help federal agencies address national data center challenges.

It's available to all federal agencies seeking an agile capacity to scale. It has quick access to private sector ingenuity, and expertise, to meet critical mission data priorities. We also use a very innovative framework. It’s based on agile methodology to be able to harness emerging and cutting-edge technologies. We operate outside the Federal...