Abstract

You can't manage outcomes that you don't measure. We've kept accounts of many things for a long time - measuring flows of basic goods and money used to get them has been fundamental to economic development since long before people studied economics. For decades now, computers have made collecting, processing, and storing this kind of data cheaper and more consistent. But we've only recently begun scratching the surface of what software can make possible when we combine computer science, data science, and behavioral science to meet today's foremost challenges. Yet the most important application of big data analytics may well be how it advances the humble art of measurement - as a tool and catalyst for making performance pay off and for assigning value to the ideas and exploits that software now makes available at unprecedented scale.
Most ordinary Indians pay less for power than it costs to generate and distribute. While this approach ensures a level of fairness, it also means that ordinary Indians at home are the first to lose power and suffer from underinvestment in infrastructure - it's an equation that limits both top-line economic growth and basic standards of living for hundreds of millions of Indians. Fortunately, advances in software technology, behavioral science, and emissions reductions measurement open new avenues for energy policymakers and state-owned utilities to empower residential customers to contribute to - and ultimately benefit from demand side management, at a scale that was unthinkable until just a few years ago.

About the speaker

David Moore is Senior Manager of Market Development & Regulatory Affairs at Opower, the global leader in cloud-based software for the utility industry. Mr. Moore is responsible for advisory services to existing and potential clients throughout the Asia-Pacific and Japan. He works to engage industry and government stakeholders to accelerate adoption of best practices for utility customer engagement and demand-side management.Prior to Opower, Mr. Moore served as a Presidential Management Fellow in the U.S. Department of Energy, evaluating and encouraging uptake of DOE-funded innovations in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and holds a Masters degree in international economics from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).