A new federal initiative is underway to leverage government data to help improve decision-making throughout the economy, and to facilitate the release of more information to the public. “As ‘America’s Data Agency,’ we are working to unleash more of the Commerce Department’s data to strengthen our nation’s economic growth,” says U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
Historically, the Commerce Department has made some data freely available on a regular basis, charged fees for other information, and withheld some data altogether.
But now, with more data being made available, the private sector is helping facilitate access to information collected by the federal government. At ThinkGlobal Inc., for example, we recently developed the “Export Resources” App for the Apple iOS and Android platforms.
The Export Resources App enables users to search for trade leads, trade events, trade news, market research and U.S. government trade specialists. The app is designed to give importers and exporters easy access to trade leads and information.”
The Trade Leads section of the app includes leads and opportunities for product and service providers. These leads are aggregated from multiple sources, including the U.S. State Department Business Information Database System, FedBizOps, the UK and Canada. This section of the app provides a source of aggregated trade leads for American businesses seeking export opportunities.
The Trade Events section of the app includes industry trade shows, conferences, webinars, lectures and trade missions. Events such as these give exporters an opportunity to meet with trade specialists and prospective partners in person. International business, like all business, is about relationships. Participating in trade shows and conferences gives American exporters an opportunity to make contacts from around the world.
The Market Research Library section features industry reports and country guides from U.S. government trade experts. American businesses can leverage these government reports to help plan their market-entry strategies. These reports also can help a company assess a product’s potential in a target market and evaluate the prospects for success.
Three types of reports, categorized by country and industry, are included in the online library: Market Research Reports, Best Market Reports, and Country Commercial Guides
The Trade News section features in-depth news and articles written by trade specialists working for the U.S. Federal government. The news and articles are categorized by industry, country, and topic area.
The news section of the app provides in-depth news and articles written by government trade experts from the International Trade Administration, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and the Small Business Administration.
The ITA Office Locations section includes contact information for international trade specialists from the U.S. International Trade Administration. ITA centers are often co-located with offices from the State Department or other government trade agencies. This information changes frequently and the app provides a quick and easy way to check on the lasted coordinates for a particular office.
The Export Resources app is currently available from the Apple App store and the Google Play store for Android. ThinkGlobal, the publisher of the Export Resources app, also manages the ThinkGlobal.com trade leads and B2B video portal, and publishes Export USA, in print and online.
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