Search and Innovation
February 1, 2013
I don’t want to rain on the innovation parade. However, another search lawsuit is upon us. “Microsoft Sued over Search-Related Patents” reports that the alleged infringement relates to advertising. In My March 2013 Cebit Promise talk I comment about the loss of innovation in search. This new legal dust up makes it clear that the focus in search is on the dance among the search system, the user, and the advertiser. In short, innovation is not precision and recall in the manner of dusty equations. Perhaps innovation is the dutiful servant of revenue and legal eagles?
Stephen E Arnold, February 1, 2013
Sponsored by HighGainBlog
PolySpot Utilizes Data from both Past and Present to Offer Insights
February 1, 2013
A very interesting article came out of Wired recently. This piece, “Stop Hyping Big Data and Start Paying Attention to Long Data,” asserts that perhaps living in real-time and considering only current snapshots may be a flawed method.
Analytics should look at both slow changes, throughout longer periods of time and fast changes happening in real-time. The author refers to slow changes as “long data.”
The article states:
By “long” data, I mean datasets that have massive historical sweep — taking you from the dawn of civilization to the present day. The kinds of datasets you see in Michael Kremer’s “Population growth and technological change: one million BC to 1990,” which provides an economic model tied to the world’s population data for a million years; or in Tertius Chandler’s Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth, which contains an exhaustive dataset of city populations over millennia. These datasets can humble us and inspire wonder, but they also hold tremendous potential for learning about ourselves.
This is an article in which the angle made the story. No one says big data and implies that the historical contexts and perspectives are not included within that terminology. Big data solutions such as PolySpot are utilizing data from across every sector of the enterprise, both past and present, in order to deliver effective information on the future.
Megan Feil, February 1, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search.
Facebook Graph Search No Threat to Google Search
February 1, 2013
Contrary to some early predictions, it looks like Google has nothing to worry about from Facebook’s just-released “graph search” function. The Manila Times reports, “Facebook’s New Search Product Not Threat to Google – Analysts.” The brief write-up reports:
“After Facebook rolled out the friends-based search product on Tuesday, people began thinking about the question of how this new feature could affect Google, the king of search. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that ‘graph search’ is different from an all-purpose search engine. His view was agreed by experts, who said that compared with Facebook’s focus on the network of friends, the search function of Google takes a much more holistic approach. Analysts agreed that Facebook’s search tool is unlikely to challenge Google’s leading position in web search at least in the near future.”
The new feature allows users to tap into opinions and recommendations expressed by their “friends” when searching for information. Our own leader, Stephen E. Arnold, has observed that it functions better for some folks than for others, and that the less superficial the search, the less useful it is. Thanks, but no thanks.
If you’re getting a sense of déjà vu, it may be because of similar social-linked moves last year by Microsoft and, yes, Google itself. Microsoft tied recommendations from Foursquare into their Bing results, while Google connected Google+ data with its search (opting out is possible). All three implementations seem like either-love-it-or-hate-it propositions. But, hey, all is well as long as the advertisers are happy.
Cynthia Murrell, February 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
IT Spending Expected to Hit Nearly Four Trillion in 2014
February 1, 2013
Now here’s a crazy number. InfoWorld shares a recent prediction from two prominent research companies in, “Gartner: Big Data Will Help Drive IT Spending to $3.8 Trillion in 2014.” Gartner expects IT spending to reach $3.7 trillion this year.
Despite the headline, big data is just one of many factors to affect these figures. A world beginning to recover from economic uncertainty, says a Gartner VP, will help boost spending in 2013, as will purchases of printers and mobile phones. On the other hand, lower-priced tablets will help businesses save money.
I’m not sure why writer Ted Samson (or someone else at InfoWorld) chose to emphasize big data in its headline, other than to capitalize on a popular keyword. Here is the entirety of that technology’s mention in the article, within the paragraph on software:
“Enterprise software makers stand to see the significant gains from increased IT spending. Gartner expects a 6.4 percent increase in spending on software this year, up from $278 billion in 2012 to $296 billion in 2013. The figure will hit $316 billion in 2014, a 6.8 percent increase. The key markets for 2013 will include security, storage management and CRM. ‘However, beginning in 2014, markets aligned to big data and other information management initiatives, such as enterprise content management, data integration tools, and data-quality tools will begin to see increased levels of investment,’ according to Gartner.”
Okay, we get it — companies will be investing more in the management of large amounts of data. Among many other things. (Perhaps you can tell I’m a bit tired of the hype.)
The article also points to conclusions from another research company, Forrester. They also predict spending increases in enterprise software, driven mainly by SaaS and data-driven smart apps. They foresee increased work for IT services as a result of the cloud-storage trend and increased spending on data center systems. However, the global telecom services market remains top dog in the realm of IT-spending.
Cynthia Murrell, February 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Detailed Advice on Enterprise Scale Semantic Systems
February 1, 2013
In his AI3 blog, semantic technology pro Mike Bergman presents a new series of articles on “Enterprise-Scale Semantic Systems.” Bergman and his business partner recently gained some eye-opening experience while deploying enterprise-wide semantic systems, and wanted to share their new insights with the world.
The article starts with some history on semantic technology, beginning with the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) adoption of the Resource Description Framework as a standard in 1999. Bergman describes early developments and high hopes for the technology, as well as certain disappointments that followed. Once one turns away from the unrealized grand visions, however, the actual possibilities are quite promising, if not so dramatic. Though information management within the enterprise remains problematic, Bergman sees reason for hope:
“Daily we see success of semantic technologies in multiple locations, and the market is coming to understand the uses and potential benefits. The benefits of graph-based knowledge structures in search and recommendation systems are becoming accepted. We see how basic search is being enhanced with entity recognition and characterization, as well as richer links between entities. The ability of the RDF data model and ontologies to act as integration frameworks is no longer an assertion, but a fact. Despite the despair of some semantic advocates, the market place is increasingly understanding the concepts and potential of semantic technologies.”
While insisting that there is good money to be made in this field, Bergman lists some factors which continue to make implementing enterprise-wide semantics a challenge. For example, many businesses still doubt that it is a wise investment, though he says the demonstration of improved search functionality often seals the deal. Not surprisingly, budget constraints are another prominent hurdle.
If this first article is any indication, expect the series to include a lot of detailed explanations and tips for approaching enterprise-scale semantic systems. A worthwhile read for anyone in that field.
Cynthia Murrell, February 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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