With the growth of big data analytics, Kent said increased demand for data science talent could equal or outpace that of cybersecurity in the federal government.

In December, the Foreign Service Institute's School of Applied Information Technology started a data science training course. Now they're looking to expand it.

Organizers are carefully considering who the program should cater to and how it can have the most impact.

The Data Science Virtual Desktop will allow access to datasets, and it will be hosted on a site where agencies can also share their data.