Headlines
Big Data helps city of Dublin improve public bus transportation and reduce congestion
IBM has announced it is helping the city of Dublin use Big Data to identify and solve the root causes of traffic congestion in its public transport network throughout the city, which means improved traffic flow and better mobility for commuters. Integrating data from a citywide network of sensors with geospatial data means that city officials are able to better monitor and manage traffic in real time. Read more
Texas.gov site upgrades with help of analytics
According to govtech.com, the state of Texas has announced an enhanced Texas.gov. “The website,” writes Colin Wood, “which receives more than 20,000 daily users and fields more than 72,000 daily searches, will continue its focus of being search-centric, while adapting to the needs of its users. Because the user is so important, said Erin Hutchins, director of portal operations, their team began by looking at analytics to see what they were doing right, what they were doing wrong, and how their website could better serve their constituents and internal users.” Read more
Predictive Policing: Using Data to Combat Crime
Forbes magazine contributor Gil Press recently heard Bill Bratton, the former head of the Boston, New York and Los Angeles police departments, speak at the CEB TowerGroup Financial Services Technology Conference on the topic of “data-driven policing” or “predictive policing.” Read more
INFORMS confers first CAP™ designation
Jim Williams, manager of advanced analytics at Land O’Lakes, Inc., became the first person conferred with the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP™) designation after INFORMS held its inaugural CAP™ exam in conjunction with the INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics & Operations Research in San Antonio, Texas, in early April. Read more
Top-10 technology trends for the energy, utilities sector
A new report from Gartner, Inc. identifies the top-10 technology trends affecting the global energy and utility markets in 2013, as the industry faces significant challenges from ongoing environmental sensitivity, changing policymaker attitudes and consumer expectations. Read more
Ford Motor named 2013 INFORMS Prize winner
The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) awarded its annual INFORMS Prize to Ford Motor Company, the automaker that has been using analytics throughout its organization to strengthen its position within the American automotive industry. Read more
Analytics Section of INFORMS News
Innovative Applications in Analytics Award
A team led by Cynthia Rudin of MIT won the 2013 Innovative Applications in Analytics Award from the Analytics Section of INFORMS for the entry, “Analytics for Power Grid Distribution Reliability in New York City,” conducted in conjunction with researchers from MIT, Columbia University and Con Edison (one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States). The award was presented at the INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics & Operations Research, held in San Antonio, Texas, April 7-9. Read more
Student Analytical Scholar winner announced
Oleksandr Akulov, a management grad student studying operations research at the University of British Columbia, was named the winner of the Student Analytical Scholar Competition sponsored by the Analytics Section of INFORMS and supported by SAS. Read more
Industry News
Analytics adds depth to NFL scouting reports
Chris Wesseling, the NFL’s “Around the League” writer, recently wrote about how the Jacksonville Jaguars used prospect analytics to pick potential star Luke Joeckel. Read more
Conference at Yale helps higher education and non-profits utilize data intelligence tools
Kate Nimety, production services manager at Yale University and Richard Horne, Yale’s assistant director of data analytics and prospecting, will be presenting their work with Rapid Insight products on the first day of the Rapid Insight User Conference. Read more
HCA’s Summerville Medical Center uses real-time data and analytics to track hand hygiene compliance
GE Healthcare and HCA’s Summerville Medical Center have collaborated to develop and deploy a data driven technology solution that tracks hand washing data as it relates to patient care through the use of small sensor tags. Read more
New book highlights power of predictive analytics
Eric Siegel, founder of Predictive Analytics World, reveals the power and perils of prediction in his new book, “Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who will Click, Buy, Lie or Die” (Wiley). Read more












