Semantics Fuel Need for Analytics
February 22, 2012
Here’s a different approach to the “next big thing.” Network Computing insists, “Semantic Technology Key to Mastering Data Growth, Analysis.” The article examines the recent InformationWeek report titled Database Discontent.
It used to be that data analysis parameters were defined manually. However, says the report’s co-author David Read, that is becoming less and less feasible. Writer Chris Talbot explains:
With the significant depth and breadth of data contained inside and outside the enterprise, in addition to the high volume of transactions that are continually generating more data, there is no reasonable way for people to know where to look when seeking out actionable knowledge, Read said. Predictive analytics will likely outpace reporting and traditional business intelligence efforts in the future, and they will be used to inform SMEs [Subject Matter Experts] about where to invest their business intelligence efforts, he added.
SQL systems are fine for analyzing uniform data, he adds, but not the growing mounds of unstructured data. The report sees semantic technology as the answer to the problem. Talbot notes that these tools have both improved and come down in price over the last few years. The way things are going, that’s a very good thing.
Cynthia Murrell, February 22, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
The Heat in SharePoint Semantics February Feb 3 – Feb 9
February 21, 2012
Last week, SharePoint Semantics delivered several incredibly noteworthy and informative pieces that I would like to share with search enthusiasts.
The first is “Microsoft SharePoint FAST Search and Visual Best Bets: Better Together.” While this title may be a bit of a tongue twister, it shares an article that explains why SharePoint end users should opt in for FS4SP for Visual Best Bets.
the article states:
“But why go the extra mile for a separate file, or opt in for FS4SP for this feature? The Best Bet web part support the showing of keywords and keyword definitions. Keyword definitions are formatted as HTML. And a definition with html formatting is in effect a Visual Best Bet. (If you have more than one Visual Best Bet you want to assign to the keyword you would have to add them all to the same html for this to work.”
When using SharePoint there are many details that can be overlooked if you do not do you proper research. In “Know Your Microsoft SharePoint Calendar Options: Calendar View or Calendar List” we learn some useful advice regarding your best option when choosing between a Calendar (Calendar Lists) by using a Calendar template, or a Calendar View of an existing list.
writer Ken Toth states:
“The author points out that he chose to do the Calendar View option because it allows the ability to schedule dates in the future, gives all contributors the ability to view and edit calendar entries without special permissions, connects with existing lists of documents, is easy to use, and involves minimal work.”
In “Quick and Easy Steps to Create a Basic Microsoft SharePoint Survey” we learn how to create a survey using out of the box functionality. The post points users to an article that provides a straightforward, and easy to solution.
The articles that were highlighted this week, point readers to some user friendly ways that they can tackle SharePoint hurdles on their own. For those who are interested in another quick fix, check out the Semaphore Content Intelligence Platform from Smartlogic. It’s efficient and does all the leg work for you.
Jasmine Ashton, February 21, 2012
Improving Search with Behavioral Analyses
February 21, 2012
I wrote my KMWorld column about the interesting system and method developed by Dr. Linda McIsaac, president of Xyte, Inc. I learned about Xyte’s work in Washington, DC. A number of Federal entities tap her company for behavior-centric research.
I interviewed Dr. McIsaac on February 15, 2012, and the information I gathered struck me as important and highly relevant to enterprise search. With users of enterprise search systems expressing significant dissatisfaction with incumbent systems, licensing a new search engine should make people happy. Well, it does not. Traditional methods of figuring out what makes a user of a findability purr does not work particularly well.
Dr. McIsaac’s method may provide a solution. I have put the full text of our conversation on my Search Wizards Speak subsite. You can access the interview at this link.
Here’s an example of the outputs her research approach:
Xyte provides a system science model and a structure that identifies the way people function intellectually by classifying their cognitive information-processing capabilities presented as a logical system of relationships among various human capabilities. In simple terms, Xyte’s system provides a structure based on a proven theory which is predictive of the way individuals think and process information and then act consistently. No other system is predictive.
I was able to gather some information about the type of findings she delivers to clients. She told me:
Xyte surveyed each of what we call cognofiles or behavioral sets of the Xyting Insight™ system about usage of social media to determine who is most apt to use these computer applications. Not all consumers are eager to use Facebook or use it consistently. According a recent Xyte study, 27 percent of the population has never logged in to Facebook and another 20 percent only log in once or more a month. Data from our study suggest that some of the broad generalizations about social media, particularly as a replacement for a search system or face-to-face interaction are inaccurate. That means that advertisers are missing 47 percent of the population. However, 38 percent do log in daily and 16 percent do log in several times a week. The population segment that most frequents Facebook has a number of characteristics; for example, showing great compassion for others, wanting to be emotionally connected with others, having a natural intuition about people and how to relate to them, adapting well to change, embracing technology such as the Internet, and enjoying gossip and messages delivered in story form and liking to read and write.
For more information about Xyte, navigate to www.xyte.com. The complete interview is at http://www.arnoldit.com/search-wizards-speak/xyte.html
Stephen E Arnold, February 21, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Inteltrax: Top Stories, February 13 to February 17
February 20, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, some of the biggest trends in the big data industry.
Our story, “Smart Hires Make Analytics Run Smoother” weighed in on the debate that says big data is not for IT departments, but rather should be its own specialized department in companies.
“Analytic Spinoff Companies on the Rise” showed how companies like TruSignal which once dabbled in big data are now spinning off complete analytic agencies.
“Analytic Money Season is Here” detailed the start of the most exciting time of the year in business intelligence. This is when companies start reporting 2011 profits and last year was a big year, so we expect record numbers.
There are a million different directions big data analytics is heading. We are trying to keep our finger on each one of those pulses and you can come along for the ride every day.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com.
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax, February 20, 2012
The Value of Stereotypes
February 20, 2012
The Google disclosure page has been a big topic of discussion recently, and for good reason.
The mega-search giant infers users’ age, gender, and interests. Even though the formula is not quite fully understood yet, some old-fashioned stereotypes are bubbling up.
Gawker.com’s article, “The Stereotypes Inside Google’s Supercomputer: A Partial List,” reveals some of these stereotypes which are emerging. For example, browsing cooking sites will typically peg you as a female, while being aware of events in the news causes Google to infer you are older. The article asserts:
As many a lady tech reporter has discovered, ogling e-gizmos virtually makes you a man. Wired.com’s Christina Bonnington, a gadget writer, looks at the occasional kitten video, but still shows up on Google as a 35-44 year old man thanks to her heavy tech browsing. The New York Times‘ Jenna Wortham is a 25-year-old man, as far as Google’s advertisers are concerned – and did we mention she’s one of their tech writers?
You can see what Google is inferring about you at www.google.com/ads/preferences. Google overestimated my age by twenty years, but was pretty spot on with my interests (Internet & Telecom, Food & Drink, and Cats.) I don’t ever approve of this big brother stuff, especially when it ages me so.
Andrea Hayden, February 20, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Social Media Analytics: Relationships with End User Consumers
February 18, 2012
Text Analytics News recently partnered with Useful Social Media to publish a series of interviews with experts in the field of Social Media Analytics. The second installment focuses on the relationships between vendors and their end user consumers.
“Social Media Analytics Expert Interview Series: Part 2” is conducted by the Chief Editor of Text Analytics news, Ezra Steinberg. The interview panel includes: Meta Brown, General Manager of Analytics at LinguaSys; Christine Campbell, Director of Marketing at Socialware; and Pirouz Nilforoush, President & Co-Founder of NetShelter Technology Media. All three interviewees will be speaking at the Social Media Analytics Summit in San Francisco in April. The interview sheds some light on customer interaction; some helpful questions and responses from the interview follow:
“USM: What do you believe the average consumer thinks about companies’ social media listening initiatives?
Nilforoush (Netshelter): I think the average consumer is confused as to why different brands are initiating conversations with them online that can resemble advertising or spam. Brands need to focus their efforts around engaging their top influencers, rather than trying to engage with every single person that has something to say about their brand. It is not a scalable model for the brands and can be annoying for the end user. Instead, brands should focus their efforts on the people that have the biggest impact on their brand. These influencers will do the work for brands on their own and impact the masses.
USM: What would you tell someone who is thinking about employing social media analytics for their company?
Brown (LinguaSys): Start with just one narrow project tied to a specific business problem. Choose something where you feel confident that quick improvement is possible. Plan carefully – what’s the path from data collection to analytics to action to returns? Give yourself the best opportunity to succeed – don’t begin until you have made a plan that gives you a way to demonstrate measurable value for your investment in social analytics!
The interview focuses on planning for implementation of social media analytics and consumer’s thoughts on the topic. Many organizations would benefit by considering the opinions and thoughts provided by these leaders in social media. The full interview can be found here and can give insight on building relationships via social media and what to anticipate during the process.
Andrea Hayden, February 18, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Autonomy: Ready to Disrupt Again
February 17, 2012
When Hewlett-Packard (HP) purchased the enterprise software company Autonomy for a hefty 10.3 billion last August, the world was left wondering what would come of this new partnership. While HP has the hardware, Autonomy’s unique software allows enterprises to provide insight and structure to electronic data, including unstructured information, such as text, email, web pages, voice, or video.
Now, six months after the acquisition, word has broken and Business Insider’s Julie Bort has written “HP Finally Explains Its Big Plans for its $10 Billion Purchase, Autonomy” which shares some of the new products that HP has planned for Autonomy.
According to the article, HP is working on several hardware appliances that will power enterprise search and ideally out compete Google’s Search Appliance. HP also unveiled a new Autonomy video application.
In addition to this, Bort writes:
“HP is working on mobile Autonomy applications that will let you view images of physical world objects such as a movie poster and interact with them online. That’s nothing special, as lots of companies are working on similar technology, known as “augmented reality.” But this type of thing hasn’t gone mainstream yet, so there’s plenty of room for a big player like HP to own it if it ever does.”
While HP many not be using Autonomy to create the most innovative products right off the bat, HP’s extensive resources and purchasing power paired with Autonomy’s software make a duo that will be difficult to compete with.
Jasmine Ashton, February 17, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
iQuest, Now Lightbound
February 15, 2012
iQuest is now Lightbound. So what’s a “lightbound”?
Lightbound appears to be the former iQuest Analytics, which was founded in 2005 by Peter Gloor, who continues as president and chief science officer, to innovate and deliver world class and best of breed search technology solutions that solve critical knowledge issues around speed, relevance, and efficiency. Its iQuest Software Suite, an integrated software suite that combines social network analysis, auto-categorization with text extraction technologies to analyze unstructured data, was named a KMWorld Trend-Setting Product in 2009.
iQuest Discovery is the company’s enterprise search, research, and discovery (eSRD) solution that utilizes a technology architecture based on combined proprietary dynamic data structure innovations, natural language processing, and “parts of speech” to deliver optimized, efficient and relevant search results. This combination enables high-speed performance and lower cost of ownership and allows researchers to retrieve results that are both intuitive and non-intuitive.
iQuest is able to analyze unrelated collections of documents to automatically surface patterns and associations by clustering previously unconnected documents, blogs, RSS feeds, email and other unstructured data. It employs unique Social Network Analysis algorithms combined with token and link extraction to find hidden relationships and mission-critical undiscovered information by mining unstructured data from large document stores, the Web, email logs, phone archives, message boards, blogs and enterprise intranets.
By developing a solution that rapidly identifies relationships between previously unconnected data, iQuest and partner SGI have made it possible for the intelligence community to flag in near real time anomalous behavior that bears scrutiny as a possible danger to national security.
iQuest is the leading provider of eSRD software for the life sciences, intelligence, law enforcement, regulatory, legal, and research and development industries.
Stephen E Arnold, February 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Inteltrax: Top Stories, February 6 to February 10
February 13, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, how Asia is taking on a bigger role in all things analytics.
We began this search with the story, “Asian Analytics Market a Powerhouse” which provided a general overview of countries like Malaysia that are making an impact with Teradata.
More specifically, “India Up and Coming in Big Data” proved that one of the tech industries most important new players is India, with its analytics-savvy workforce.
To no surprise, we also covered China with “China Getting Big Data Attention” showed us how this industrial powerhouse is beginning to convert to the tech industry with analytics.
Analytics has been a global concern from the get-go. However, the sheer volume of talent and opportunity in Asia makes it seem logical that it will become to big data what Detroit once was to automobiles. We’ll be sure to keep an eye as this continental analytics trend moves forward.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
February 13, 2012
Hadoop Vendors On the Rise
February 13, 2012
Information Week offers the interesting article “12 Hadoop Vendors to Watch In 2012.” Hadoop is a favorite in the business intelligence world “thanks to its combination of low cost, scalability, and flexibility to handle any data without building predefined schemas.”
Business intelligence vendors are counting on Hadoop to help with not only data processing but also with data analysis. The article mentions several notable companies. Cloudera is not surprising it is “the oldest and largest Hadoop software and services provider.”
Other vendors such as EMC and Microsoft are two surprising vendors noted in the article with Hadoop connections. Datameer is another notable vendor building steam and you can read more about them here. An interesting list however it comes as a big surprise that Digital Reasoning was left off of the list which is a huge oversight for so many reasons in my opinion. The list of vendors couldn’t be more different but data analytics bridges the gap. It’s definitely “the next big thing.”
Stephen E Arnold, February 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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