Qld's 'new' analytics office is an expanded CITEC function

Queensland's planned whole-of-government analytics and data sharing office will be a rebadged and expanded iteration of the state’s existing CITEC information brokerage service.

The state government revealed in February this year that it would create a new data sharing and analytics office within the Department of Science, IT and Innovation (DSITI).

But it emerged this week that, rather than being an entirely new capability, the office would be an extension of a 27-year-old information brokerage service run by CITEC.

CITEC has had a troubled few years, at one time being targeted for sale before those plans were revoked. It was, however, split into two units, with the data brokerage business separated from IT shared services.

Known as CITEC Confirm, the brokerage business offers search and retrieval services across 40 government and commercial information sources, including for asset discovery, debt recovery and court filings.

To date, the information brokerage has been a commercial business. It has about 10,000 customers.

It is now set to expand to also meet the state government’s own needs for data sharing and data science, becoming the foundation of the new analytics and data sharing office.

“Reflecting the need to support information sharing and collaboration needs of a digitally enabled government, a new data sharing and analytics office is transforming the information sharing capability that CITEC information brokerage has built up over the last 27 years,” the government said.

“This data sharing and analytics office will focus on building capability in internal to government information sharing, data science and data analytics whilst continuing to operate its traditional information brokerage services.”

A temporary project team is being assembled, including a director of analytics and principal analyst. 

The project team is set to work with government and agencies to define analytics requirements and then deliver new whole-of-government “first class, progressive data sharing and analytics products and services”.

While the project team is expected to source some of the underlying technology from the market, it is also to “develop internal analytics software using [their] own team”.