BIG DATA AND LOCAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: The Experience of Kansas City, Missouri

This chapter defines the definition and scope of big data and discusses some of the benefits of big data tools and the ways they are being used at the local level. It uses Kansas City, Missouri, as a case study to illustrate how a mid-sized city in the US uses different data strategies and analytics tools to gain a better understanding of public expectations and service delivery results. This case study also illustrates the need for local managers and policy makers to recognize the organizational and governance challenges raised by the big data movement. Big data analytics is about the velocity of analytical tasks. Local governments are certainly well positioned to take advantage of these characteristics of big data analytics. Within the Kansas city, the Office of Performance Management under the City Manager's Office is responsible for taking the lead in using data and performance indicators to improve services and local policy making.