So I call the bank/ phone company/… to ask a question about my latest statement, for example, and  I get a voice mail prompt to enter my account number. After several more auto-queries (and often quite a few expletives), I get a human on the other end of the line. The first question they ask is…”What is your account number?”

In the November issue of Popular Science (yes, sometimes I do more than look at the pictures!), there’s a great article about one of the world’s foremost network theorists, Albert-Lazlo Barabasi. He recently developed a program, which using cell towers as nodes, allowed him to predict, with 93% accuracy, an individual’s location within one square mile.

There's a fascinating piece in the November issue of Popular Science re the Santa Cruz Ca police department's use of datasets to predict tomorrow's crimes today. Not quite the "Minority Report", but definitely aligned with Reggie Henry's (ASAE's CIO) mantra "we need to be present at the moment of need".

The full handouts from the session are now available on ASAE's site - thanks to Megan Denhart. For the overview click here and for the Powerpoint click here.

The main take-away from the session was that we can create well-organized data sharing systems and we can harness the power of data being collected at national and at the local level.