Improving Agriculture with Big Data Analysis

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While many industries are tapping into the power of big data, agriculture is one with still much room to explore. Prachi Patel explains how ag-experts are looking to data to lift people out of poverty in the article, “Feeding the World with Big Data.” Patel points out that farmers today produce three times as much food as they did 50 years ago using 12 percent more land. However, on a global scale, the playing field is not even:

In Africa, farmers produce a fraction of what they could, according to the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, and most barely get by, struggling against infertile soil, drought, and diseases.

James Hendler, a computer science professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, N.Y. who also guides the U.S. government’s Data.gov website, has this to say about the variety of agriculture data:

There are deeply detailed data sets on things like plant genomics and local weather conditions. Then there are broad data sets on such topics as the best crops for certain soils, changes in rainfall levels, signs of pests and diseases, and anticipated prices at local markets.

If data sets relating to agriculture become more available freely, there is lots of possibility and opportunity to improve practices. The article is an interesting highlight of where data is taking us. No matter the industry, business is poised to exploit data for efficiency. One tool to look at is Smartlogic. Whether data is from a customer base or from other inputs, the Semaphore Content Intelligence Platform uses semantic technology and metadata tagging to give businesses a complete overview leading to marketing plans that hit the mark and take the guess work out for improved revenue numbers.s

Alice Wilson, May 20, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

Using Big Data to Improve Child Health Care

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In the ZDNet.com article, “Children’s Research Centre Boosts Storage for DNA Big Data,” Spandas Lui discusses new storage infrastructure in response to big data and how it impacts patient care. The upgraded storage infrastructure comes from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MRCI) as the organization struggles to contain big data generated from next-generation DNA sequencing technology.

Sequencing one gene at a time was laborious and expensive — we also didn’t know which genes to choose,’ MCRI associate director professor Andrew Sinclair told ZDNet in an email.

But with the new sequencing technology, there was added pressure on MCRI’s data storage assets. The institute was keen to install a data storage system to house and manage big data, including for next-generation sequencing.

MCRI also said that with next-generation sequencing, all genes in a patient can be analyzed in a single test with rapid diagnosis in many cases. There are currently 60 patients being tested using this next-gen DNA sequencing. This seems to be a major leap forward in patient care when time is of utmost importance.

One technology making major strides in content management that is currently being used for exciting applications in the real world is Smartlogic. The Semaphore platform is being used to improve patient care, drug discovery, and optimize organization processes.

Alice Wilson, May 20, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

 

Using Big Data to Improve Weather Forecasts

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Big data is big and potentially powerful. But enough so to predict the weather? Rebecca Grant shares news about technology hoping to change that in the VentureBeat.com  article, “‘Big Data’ Can Predict Weather up to 40 Days into the Future.” The technology comes from EarthRisk:

EarthRisk Technologies has developed a new model for predicting extreme weather events. The model identifies weather patterns based on over 82 billion calculations and 60 years of data. It then compares those patterns to current conditions and uses predictive analytics to predict the weather up to 40 days in advance.

The technology is based on research at the University of California at San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Cofounder and CEO John Plavan says traditional forecasts are based on subjective models not accurate beyond a week. By using statistical relationships to predict eventual outcomes which can make for predictions up to 40 days away. Better weather predictions is a game changer. The brief article would be a good read to get the scoop.

The trick to staying competitive is with analyzing big data to answer specific business challenges and questions.One expert company that understands data analytics is Smartlogic. This company’s mission is to assist with Big Data initiatives by joining data with content and analyzing that information for the purpose of providing intelligent, valuable information so that reliable methods come into play when making business decisions.

Alice Wilson, May 17, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

Financial Services Challenges with Extracting Insight from Big Data

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Given the vast amounts of consumer data out there, the financial sector is poised to take advantage of it all. In the Forbes article, “How Financial Firms Can Turn the Tide on Big Data,” Roji Oommen discusses the implications of big data in the trading market and shows the importance with this opening statement:

Data is the lifeblood of the trading markets.

The author explains that “opportunity” in data isn’t a new idea in financial services, and that big has been gaining momentum for years – but, Oommen says, now a focus is on the growing ability to extract insights rather than just collect and store data. He says this about the challenge:

With the widespread adoption of electronic trading, firms may have mastered the dynamics of latency. But they’re still relying on IT to help them solve one of Wall Street’s bigger mysteries: How to unlock the value within all of that data.

The article goes on to comment on developing a streamlined data infrastructure at the root to better realize big data. For those in the industry, the article may be worth the read to get some perspective on a big data initiative. One company that is making strides in big data analytics and entity extraction with sound security features in sectors like financial services is Smartlogic. With Semaphore, vast amounts of unstructured data become smart content with the power of ontologies and metadata. The platform helps industries tackle unstructured data and develop practical applications and solutions, while minimizing security risks.

Alice Wilson, May 17, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

The Possibilities and Limitations of Big Data Analytics

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In “Think Again: Big Data,” Kate Crawford of MIT Center for Civic Media discusses the term ‘big data’ and its implications in the IT world. Crawford explains that many in the tech industry view it as a one-size-fits-all answer to solving the world’s intractable problems. Basically, she says, it is used to describe the art and science of using analytics to find patterns and connections in massive amounts of information. Those patterns can then be turned into insights used to predict answers to complex questions. But the author questions all the promises and expectations:

But is big data really all it’s cracked up to be? Can we trust that so many ones and zeros will illuminate the hidden world of human behavior?

She provides this example that shows holes in the data:

For example, social media is a popular source for big-data analysis, and there’s certainly a lot of information to be mined there. Twitter data, we are told, informs us that people are happier when they are farther from home and saddest on Thursday nights. But there are many reasons to ask questions about what this data really reflects. For starters, we know from the Pew Research Center that only 16 percent of online adults in the United States use Twitter, and they are by no means a representative sample.

The lengthy article seems to provide a comprehensive discussion on the expectations and possibilities - and also the limitations – of big data and analytics. But the author also points out that given the immense amount of information collected everyday about us, there is lots of opportunity and need for concern about security and privacy issues. While there are many strategies and tools that can be used for business success, it is no doubt that big data and analytics is a part of the big picture.

The experts at Smartlogic understand the big picture. Some data impacts an organizations business strategy and some does not. It is important to embark on technology used for applications in the real world. The Semaphore platform from Smartlogic is a robust system being utilized successfully to turn data into smart content and helps organizations extract the meaningful insight from the sea of information.

Alice Wilson, May 17, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

Digital Age and New Process Making Movies Profitable with Big Data

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The movie industry and large budget movies that are heavily promoted and also profitable in a short time span is the subject of an article from The Huffington Post, “Big Screen Meets Big Data: How Movies Are Bigger (and Smaller) Than Ever.” Now that the movie industry is digital, vast amounts of data is derived from these large productions, some equal to 17.28 gigabytes per minute of storage. And the challenge for the industry is to manage all of this data, and be ‘right on the money’ in terms of audience approval.

Since the movie industry joined the digital age, a new and exciting movie-making strategy is developing – something IBM is calling ‘inner space,’ such as with the movie “A Boy and His Atom.” In the making of this movie, thousands of atoms (magnified 100 million times) were moved to precise locations and then cooled down to stabilize. This movie got the attention of the Guinness World Records as the “World’s Smallest Stop-Motion Film.” For background, IBM scientists created the world’s smallest magnetic bit with new technology that stores a single bit with just 12 atoms. The excitement is the cost savings if this process can be used in a full-length film. The following is a statement regarding movie making and Big Data:

There is no doubt that big-budget movies and Big Data are here to stay. Now it’s a matter of uniting R&D, media and entertainment organizations, industry experts, consumers, and technology manufacturers to uncover the best ways to derive value from all this data. “The Boy and His Atom” tells the story of how we’re pushing science at the atomic level to tackle these challenges and to extend human capabilities.

Whether you are making a movie or trying to stay competitive and profitable in business it is smart to turn to experts in the data analysis field. One company that can assist an organization with their unstructured data and turn it into smart decisive data is Smartlogic and the Semaphore Content Intelligence Platform. With capabilities such as automatic metadata application and accurate entity extraction, Smartlogic understands how to get businesses on the right track with managing information.

Alice Wilson, May 16, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

Does Value Decrease When Volume of Raw Data Increases?

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“Most Data Isn’t “Big,” and Businesses are Wasting Money Pretending It Is,” is from QZ.com about big data and how the term “Big” is somewhat confusing in that not all data is that large that it cannot be handled and interpreted on a single computer. However, the problem is some consultants and IT firms are pushing the big data story as the next best thing and the need for large clusters of servers to handle the data for business value.

This narrative from qz.com offers reasons to be cognizant of the claims made for this field, and that, actually, the more data processed, the greater the chance is of losing integrity and business value, which could sabotage your main idea. The author points out that even Facebook and Yahoo are using clusters of servers and, in fact, most of their data is in the “megabyte to gigabyte” range, and could be handled on a single computer. The following is a comment from Michael Wu, the “principal scientist of data analytics” at Lithium about how ‘more’ could really mean ‘less:’

The information you can extract from any big data asymptotically diminishes as your data volume increases.” For those of you who don’t normally think in data, what that means is that past a certain point, your return on adding more data diminishes to the point that you’re only wasting time gathering more.

Although raw data and the volume of it for value is questioned in this read, value and profit can be realized from data, and turning to experts in the field should be high on your list of strategies. With all of the uncertainty in the field today, Smartlogic and their expertise can bring insight and put your data woes to rest. Smartlogic offers a suite of tools that can assist in efforts to auto classify your content. As leaders in ontology Smartlogic offers valuable customer service and useful technology that helps make a complicated process easier.

Alice Wilson, May 16, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

Evidence of Data Providing Answers and Value for Meaningful Use

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It is refreshing when you hear about companies that are profitable and staying competitive with their Big Data initiatives. It seems we hear more about companies that are disillusioned with the vast amounts of data. In fact, as a society we log about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day, and all of this data can create apprehension to say the least. However, in an article from Mashable, “8 Marketers Doing Big Data Right,” eight companies are highlighted that are improving their products and bottom line with data-driven insightful information. CEO Jenn Hyman from Rent the Runway, one of the eight companies highlighted in the article, offered this about using data analytics:

Data has always been an invaluable asset to Rent the Runway, as its analytics team uses it to make decisions on everything from marketing to operations and inventory buys. Early on, RTR’s data illustrated that 25% of its customers were adding an accessory to their designer dress orders, so RTR jumped on the trend. “Rent the Runway actually launched an entire upsell program on the site because of this strong data.” Strong data has proven to be essential in monitoring customer trends, and capitalizing on new opportunities for revenue growth.

This evidence of data providing important answers and value for meaningful use is astounding. Data analytics is becoming increasingly important in every imaginable scenario – and the list keeps on expanding.  A company leading the way with text analytic tools is Smartlogic. Their suite of tools has the ability to combine data with content and applying content analytics to that information for the purpose of content intelligence. The result is a reliable way to make decisions with integrity in any environment.

Alice Wilson, May 16, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

Answering Small Business Questions with Big Data

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Extracting insights from big data is an intimidating venture. Data is massive. In the Harvard Business Review Blog post, “In a Big Data World, Don’t Forget Experimentation,” Thomas C. Redman advises to start small and that a small dose of the right data can prove profitable. He explains that a business can ask the right and seemingly simple question, but the effort to assemble all relevant information across disparate data warehouses is daunting. He explains the benefit of thinking ‘small’:

You need a small dose of exactly the right data. Data that bear precisely on the question at hand, that you understand deeply, and that you can trust. If such data are already at hand, great. But frequently they are not. And then, nothing beats a well-conceived, -designed, – controlled, -executed, and -analyzed experiment. Companies need to make sure experimentation is included in their ‘data toolkits,’ learn when to use it, and develop the skills to conduct effective experiments.

Redman adds that a small-scale, narrowly focused real-world trial can help answer many business questions. If you feel intimidated by your data warehouse stores, the article may be a motivating place to start. Another way is by employing a third party solution that organizes and accesses your information  regardless of location and format. Smartlogic’s Semaphore platform does just that with the power of semantic technology. This also means that humans can easily interact, search, locate, and repurpose business information with Semaphore’s automatic tagging capabilities using a language specific to your industry.

Alice Wilson, May 15, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search

Overcoming Privacy Challenges to Turn Big Data into Healthcare Improvement

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Big data is changing just about all industries and in ways, according to Konrad Yakabuski, that range from “the plain silly to the sheer scary.” Yakabuski’s article, “‘Big Data’ Scores Enough Ones to Justify Privacy Zeroes,” covers how our lives are being ‘datafied’ and the pros and cons that come with it. The author says that if we can tolerate the scary and the silly, we could be on the cusp of major progress. One of the perceived downsides is shared:

He sees an even more sinister development in the ability of Facebook and Google to suck up our personal data for free and then use it to sell us stuff.

But adds this benefit:

The good news is that not only profiteers are benefiting from the big data revolution. It’s changing how doctors define and treat diseases, breaking down the walls between medical disciplines to improve patient care. Where most doctors still diagnose and treat brain disorders such as depression or autism based on often highly subjective symptoms, scientists are increasingly building huge data sets that render such narrow diagnoses obsolete.

Healthcare professionals interested in big data opportunities are trying to lure researchers from around the world to conduct trials based on the treasure trove of data and turn it into improved care. While security and privacy risks will be there, big data opportunities are exciting. The article is a good example of what some are doing to turn data into smart content. Another good example of advancement with content management and healthcare is the Semaphore Content Intelligence Platform from Smartlogic. From drug discovery to development to patient care, Semaphore’s content classification and search enhancement capabilities are working hard across the life sciences and healthcare spectrum.

Alice Wilson, May 15, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search