Unlocking Government Data: Empowering Economic Developers, Investors, and Policymakers

The federal government, academic institutions, private companies, and non-profit organizations are all major repositories of data. However, making that data publicly accessible and translating it into usable insights for practitioners and the public remains a  significant challenge. How can institutions synthesize data to facilitate collaboration, empower community leaders, and communicate useful insights? How can economic developers, investors, and policymakers leverage that data to inform evidence-based economic growth strategies?

The panel Unlocking Government Data: Empowering Economic Developers, Investors, and Policymakers featured Maria Messick, former Senior Advisor to Commerce Secretary Raimondo and Director of Regional Economic Research Initiative; and Kory Bailey, Chief Ecosystem Officer for Greater Baltimore Committee, former CEO of UpSurge Baltimore. The discussion was moderated by Daniel Goetzel, Harvard Reimagining the Economy, Practitioner-In-Residence, and former Entrepreneurial Lead for the NSF Regional Innovation Engines + CHIPS programs.

Here are the main takeaways from the discussion:

• Data as a guide to public and private sector investors

Messick discussed her team’s work using data from USASpending.gov to develop the Commerce Investment Map. She noted that while all federal agencies are required to submit data to USASpending.gov, the website can be cumbersome and difficult to navigate. The Commerce Investment Map organizes large data sets on grants and cooperative agreements issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce (and other agencies like Department of Energy), enabling agency leadership to better understand how investments are distributed, and which types of communities tend to receive clustering of government funding and investments.

Bailey described how UpSurge Baltimore developed the 2025 Baltimore Tech Ecosystem Report to map startups in the region and analyze funding deals. The report aggregates data from third-party sources, including LinkedIn, Crunchbase, and Pitchbook, and verifies information through direct source data. This work allows UpSurge Baltimore and its partners to identify startup locations, industry clusters, anchor sectors, and growth opportunities. They are also able to track annual funding trends and deals, ranging from real estate to venture capital deals, throughout the region. They use this data to inform conversations with local and state leaders while also informing their direct outreach to startup companies in the region.

• Data as a collaboration tool

The Economic Development Administration’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge invited regions to come together to submit proposals for economic development funding. Hundreds of teams applied. After the first round, the federal government released a list of all applicants, revealing that many organizations within the same region were competing rather than collaborating. Making this data public helped organizations identify potential partners and illuminated the overwhelming demand for economic development resources to members of Congress and other government leaders.

Goetzel explained that this revelation spurred the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) decision to proactively publicize data on the NSF Engines grant program. The NSF created a map showing organizations interested in applying, allowing users to identify and connect with potential collaborators in their region. In the first month, the tool had over 40,000 users and thousands more used the tool to connect with others. The number one user of the tool was private sector entities looking to connect into potential projects.  At the end of the process, the NSF published an “airplane flight map” that visualized grant recipients and the investments they received from around the country as a result of the catalytic investment from the federal government.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) Tech Hub opportunity spurred a collaboration across the country, including between UpSurge Baltimore and the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC). The two organizations convened community partners and shared data on regional trends. In this, Bailey sees his work as ecosystem building rather than economic development -- while economic development is about competition, ecosystem building is about collaboration.  He noted that organizations with a shared “why” can benefit from consolidating resources and working toward collective impact rather than operating in silos.

• Future opportunities to harness the power of data

Looking ahead, the panelists discussed how to further leverage data for economic growth. Messick emphasized that while many federal agencies have strong data teams, there is a need for a centralized agency, like the Office of Management and Budget or the Government Services Administration, to serve as a repository and compile data to illustrate regional characteristics. She also expressed her hope that the new administration continues to analyze federal investments in emerging technologies. By analyzing the CHIPS Act investments, for example, the federal government can illuminate where investments are concentrated and where gaps remain. She also stressed the importance of analyzing data from the technology vertical rather than by federal program, to avoid getting lost in silos and missing the bigger picture. 

The panel also explored the value of tapping into private-sector data. Cloud-based services, such as Microsoft, and platforms like Pitchbook house extensive data sets that could provide valuable insights to communities nationwide. In addition, Goetzel noted that universities hold extensive alumni data, and that compiling and open sourcing this information could help economic developers better understand the flow of intellectual capital across the country.

Making economic data more accessible and digestible is critical to shifting economic development toward a more collaborative approach. When local leaders have access to data and information about their own communities, they are better equipped to form partnerships and make strategic planning and investment decisions. In addition, the federal government and private investors can more effectively identify opportunities for growth and maximize their return on investment.