Book excerpt: Federal Data Science serves as a guide for federal software engineers, government analysts, economists, researchers, data scientists, and engineering managers in deploying data analytics methods to governmental processes. Driven by open government (2009) and big data (2012) initiatives, federal agencies have a serious need to implement intelligent data management methods, share their data, and deploy advanced analytics to their processes. Using federal data for reactive decision making is not sufficient anymore, intelligent data systems allow for proactive activities that lead to benefits such as: improved citizen services, higher accountability, reduced delivery inefficiencies, lower costs, enhanced national insights, and better policy making. No other government-dedicated work has been found in literature that addresses this broad topic. This book provides multiple use-cases, describes federal data science benefits, and fills the gap in this critical and timely area. Written and reviewed by academics, industry experts, and federal analysts, the problems and challenges of developing data systems for government agencies is presented by actual developers, designers, and users of those systems, providing a unique and valuable real-world perspective. - Offers a range of data science models, engineering tools, and federal use-cases - Provides foundational observations into government data resources and requirements - Introduces experiences and examples of data openness from the US and other countries - A step-by-step guide for the conversion of government towards data-driven policy making - Focuses on presenting data models that work within the constraints of the US government - Presents the why, the what, and the how of injecting AI into federal culture and software systems