# Data Science Accelerator
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[Book an office hour appointment](https://scheduler.zoom.us/d/2gelv5jh/office-hours-with-odi-s-data-services-team) to discuss if the Data Science Accelerator or other data service offerings are right for you.
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## Overview
Through CalData’s Data Science Accelerator, ODI has helped departments across the state build analytic capacity and use advanced analytics, statistics, and machine learning to address real business challenges using existing data, resources, and processes.
Through a focused 6 month engagement, CalData’s Advanced Analytics & Evaluation team partners with departments to refine a pressing business problem, identify appropriate analytical methods that could be incorporated to solve that problem, and develop practical actionable solutions that improve outcomes and decision-making.
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Read more about recent Data Science Accelerator case studies published on [ODI’s website](https://innovation.ca.gov/our-work/projects/#page-1), including projects focused on:
* [Developing trustworthy environmental monitoring data](https://innovation.ca.gov/our-work/projects/developing-trustworthy-environmental-monitoring-data/)
* [Using data to protect students attending private postsecondary schools](https://innovation.ca.gov/our-work/projects/using-data-protect-students-attending-private-postsecondary-schools/)
* [A data-driven approach to detecting cash benefit theft](https://innovation.ca.gov/our-work/projects/data-driven-approach-detecting-cash-benefit-theft/)
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## How this service can help your department
To help you identify questions appropriate for data science, we created a list of problem types that we commonly see in the public sector. We encourage you to review each of these “problem typologies”.
## Who is a good fit for this service
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Unsure if your project is a good fit? [Book an office hours](https://scheduler.zoom.us/d/2gelv5jh/office-hours-with-odi-s-data-services-team) appointment with our team to discuss if the Data Science Accelerator is right for your problem.
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This service is designed for department programs with business challenges that align with one or more of our problem typologies. For the 2026 project solicitation, we are especially interested in high-impact proposals aligned with the following priority themes:
* **Program Integrity & Fraud Prevention** — Protecting public resources by detecting illicit activity and improving the effectiveness, accuracy, and fairness of service delivery.
* **Operational Efficiency & Scalability** — Addressing high-priority operational challenges with solutions that can be scaled or replicated across departments to solve common pain points.
No technical or data science background is required (or expected). We strongly encourage program staff and operational leaders to submit project ideas with clearly stated business problems and an outline of what success may look like.
For more information on what to expect when engaging with the Data Science Accelerator, please refer to these blog posts:
* [How to scope data science projects | by Joy Bonaguro | Medium](https://medium.com/@joybonaguro/part-2-how-to-scope-data-science-projects-7be33fe3b8dd)
* [How to deliver a data science project | by Joy Bonaguro | Medium](https://medium.com/@joybonaguro/part-3-how-to-deliver-a-data-science-project-f5c557f061f9)
## Expectations of department partners
Departments using this service should be prepared to:
* **Commit to implementing change** informed by the project’s findings, including support from leadership, program staff, IT, and communications teams.
* **Designate a Project Champion** who can serve as the primary liaison and dedicate approximately 25% of their time during the engagement.
* **Provide access to subject matter experts and data** needed to understand business processes, interpret data, and support analysis.
* **Participate actively throughout the engagement,** including user research activities such as interviews, observations, or workflow walkthroughs.
* **Work within the established project timeline,** with engagements typically lasting about 6 months.
* **Support documentation and knowledge sharing** so lessons learned and project outcomes can benefit other departments and jurisdictions.
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