Over the last 20+ years, global society has adopted digital devices at scale, and consumer interaction behaviors continually evolve and mature. As analysts, we're uniquely positioned to notice worldwide trends, country-specific nuances and localized market behaviors that can have significant impact on our brand's business goals. This global scope is [...]

SAS Customer Intelligence 360: Enriching analysis with device usage data was published on Customer Intelligence Blog.

One of the wonderful aspects about my client-facing role at SAS is the breadth of audiences that I get to work with. No matter where you fall on this list: Data engineer. Business or marketing analyst. Citizen data scientist. Data scientist. Statistician. Executive. One topic is certain: We all love [...]

SAS Customer Intelligence 360: Automated explanation and supervised segmentation was published on Customer Intelligence Blog.

According to the SAS Experience 2030 global study, by the year 2030 67% of in-person customer engagements (think sales assistance and information queries) will be completed by smart machines rather than humans. And while it may seem a bit ironic, the most personalized customer experiences could involve no people at [...]

SAS Customer Intelligence 360: Make better decisions with analytically driven marketing was published on Customer Intelligence Blog.

We live in the age of data. From global warming stats to customer behavior patterns, new technologies have made it easier to collect, store, access and analyze information. But our use of these technologies has also eroded our attention spans and fueled post-truth misunderstandings. To combat these trends, the question [...]

SAS Customer Intelligence 360: Visual analytics, sankey diagrams and customer journeys was published on Customer Intelligence Blog.

Everything happens somewhere, and much of our customer data includes location information. Websites include x, y coordinates in semi-structured click streams, and the mobile apps your prospects depend on frequently support device location to provide a personalized, targeted experience. As my SAS peer Robby Powell said: "Human brains are hardwired [...]

SAS Customer Intelligence 360: Data visualization, location analytics and geospatial insights was published on Customer Intelligence Blog.

Throughout its history, the United States has invested in infrastructure that leverages new technologies and helps society and its economy thrive. With the advent of trains in the early 1800s, four of the country’s five transcontinental railroads were built with assistance from the federal government. When cars replaced horses and [...]

The post Modern infrastructure must include analytics appeared first on Government Data Connection.

During lockdowns across Europe and beyond, we all moved our lives online. We worked remotely and had meetings via Teams or Zoom. We also socialised and shopped online. For many people, this was familiar territory. For others, it opened up a whole new world—and highlighted significant problems with the ‘old [...]

The post Six takeaways from working on Madrid’s digital transformation efforts appeared first on Government Data Connection.

“What’s our plan if we get hit by a big flood?” While this question may be plenty familiar to emergency management professionals, city administrators, legislators, and other leaders in coastal regions that are known for their exposure to potentially disastrous weather events, these days it’s being asked in some unexpected [...]

The post Four technology tips for government leaders preparing for flood disasters appeared first on Government Data Connection.

It is increasingly possible to use text analytics to explore different types of data. When a news story this summer caught my eye, I decided to see if I could use SAS Visual Text Analytics (VTA) and SAS Visual Analytics (VA) on customer complaints to provide information that might be [...]

The post Exciting possibilities with text mining for consumer protection appeared first on Government Data Connection.

When Los Angeles County invested in Whole Person Care (WPC) it could not have known just how important the system’s flexibility would be. Anyone who has had an interface with health care delivery, policy, oversight and management know things change quickly. As data becomes a priority, expectations of the use [...]

The post LA County's Whole Person Care analytics program offers crucial flexibility   appeared first on Government Data Connection.

The city of Heidelberg, Germany is known for its romantic cityscape, which attracts tourists from all over the world. It also has the youngest population in Germany, thanks largely to the many students at one of Europe's oldest and largest universities. Perhaps less well known is that Heidelberg is twinned [...]

The post Smart City Heidelberg: SAS Hackathon complements city's digital transformation journey appeared first on Government Data Connection.

September honors Recovery Month, emphasizing hope for recovery in behavioral health, especially from substance use disorders (SUD). A key motto of Recovery Month is that Recovery Happens, helping people know that even at rock bottom, things can improve.  We all need that hope at various points in our lives. Often, [...]

The post Data provides hope: Honoring Recovery Month  appeared first on Government Data Connection.

Higher Education has been slow to adopt analytics in comparison to the commercial sector, but those institutions that have embraced a culture of analytics have seen significant and tangible results. Higher Education analytics can help in nearly every corner of academia including enrollment and retention, student success, academic research and [...]

The post Innovative higher education analytics projects and influential tech leaders honored by EdScoop appeared first on Government Data Connection.

When we think of something “new”, we tend to picture something clean, shiny, or efficient. The new normal of fraud only checks one of those boxes, and unfortunately, that’s “efficient.” Today, scams and cyber attacks are persistent, and part of a larger ecosystem of phishing and hacking attacks by both [...]

The post The New Normal of Fraud appeared first on Government Data Connection.

Government employees charged with monitoring environmental compliance face a downpour of information, wading through countless reports and stacks of paperwork to accomplish their mission. To help these dedicated public servants increase productivity, agencies should consider a broader set of tools to control pollution, enforce regulations and improve compliance. Although foundational [...]

The post Time for government agencies to embed data and AI into environmental compliance appeared first on Government Data Connection.

I am gratified to see the continuing adoption of Forecast Value Added by organizations worldwide. FVA is an easy to understand and easy to apply approach for identifying bad practices in your forecasting process. And I'm particularly gratified to see coverage of FVA in two new books, which the authors [...]

The post Vandeput's Data Science for Supply Chain Forecasting (book excerpt) appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

International Symposium on Forecasting (virtual, June 27 - July 2) The 41st International Symposium on Forecasting will be virtual again this year, and begins Sunday June 27. SAS will have a huge presence -- as event sponsor, sponsor of the IIF/SAS Research Grants, and with 19 individual presentations. ISF registration [...]

The post 19 reasons to attend ISF 2021 (virtual - starting June 27) appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

Following is Editor Len Tashman's preview of the new issue of Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting.  Preview of Foresight #62 (2021:Q3) This 62nd issue of Foresight has been heavily “infected” by the COVID pandemic. Stephan Kolassa’s book review of Resurrecting Retail by Doug Stephens raises the question of whether the [...]

The post Preview of Foresight #62 (2021-Q3) appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

What makes something easy (or difficult) to forecast? This question was answered by Prof. Rob Hyndman on the Forecasting Impact podcast (February 6, 2021), and it's worth a look at his response. Rob was recently named a Fellow of the International Institute of Forecasters, and is someone who is known [...]

The post Hyndman's 5 Conditions for Easy Forecasting appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

On September 2 (3pm UTC / 11am EDT), I'll be joining Jonathon Karelse, CEO of NorthFind Management, for an interactive "fireside chat" on the application of Behavioral Economics in demand planning. This is part of the Foresight Webinar Series, and registration is free. Since we first met at an Institute [...]

The post Behavioral economics in demand planning (webinar September 2) appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

The International Institute of Forecasters and SAS® are funding two $10,000 grants to support research on forecasting. Per the announcement: For the eighteenth year, the IIF, in collaboration with SAS®, is proud to announce financial support for research on improving forecasting methods and business forecasting practice. The award for this year will be [...]

The post SAS/IIF Research Grants (proposals due October 1) appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

M6 Financial Forecasting Competition The Makridakis Open Forecasting Center has announced the M6 Financial Forecasting Competition, to begin in February 2022. This will be a "live" competition running through February 2023, with a focus on forecasts of stock price (returns) and risk, and on investment decisions based on the forecasts. [...]

The post M6 Financial Forecasting Competition announced appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

Following is editor Len Tashman's preview of the 2021-Q4 issue of Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting. Preview of Foresight #63 (2021-Q4) FORESIGHT HALL OF FAME Adopting the idea from other journals that recognize outstanding contributions to the field through best paper awards, we are pleased to announce that [...]

The post Preview of Foresight #63 (2021-Q4) appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

I've never been much of a fan of forecasting approaches to intermittent demand. In situations like intermittent demand (or other areas where we have little hope of reasonably accurate forecasts), my thinking is "why bother?" If we can't expect to solve the problem with forecasting, we need a different approach. [...]

The post Intermittent Demand Forecasting (new book by Boylan and Syntetos) appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

It has been my great pleasure writing this blog for the past 12 years, with over 370 posts. In doing so, I have enjoyed the support of my exceptional SAS managers over this time: From Anne Milley and Renee Nocker way back when it started, to Susan Kahler and David [...]

The post The last of the BFD appeared first on The Business Forecasting Deal.

Cyprus is ranked first in fDi’s Island Economies of the Future rankings, followed by the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka. Cathy Mullan and Naomi Davies detail the results.

New York continues to reign as leader of fDi’s American Cities of the Future 2019/20 ranking. San Francisco retains second place with Toronto rising to third. Naomi Davies reports.

A more detailed look at fDi's judges’ top five American Cities of the Future 2019/20 for FDI strategy. Naomi Davies reports.

Research by fDi Intelligence reveals which countries receive more than their ‘expected share’ of FDI. 

London has been named fDi’s inaugural Fintech Location of the Future for 2019/20, followed by Singapore and Belfast. 

Singapore has retained its place at the top of fDi's Asia-Pacific Cities of the Future ranking, with Shanghai and Tokyo completing the top three list. 

Russia remains fDi’s most diversified commodity economy, while second ranked Brazil has displaced Ukraine into third place. Cathy Mullan reports.

Dr Samir Hamrouni, CEO of the World Free Zones Organization, outlines the attributes that are essential to flourishing free zones.

The UAE's DMCC takes home the top prize in fDi’s Global Free Zones of the Year for a fifth consecutive year. 

Research by fDi Intelligence reveals which cities received the most tech start-up FDI relative to their population between 2016 and 2018, with European cities coming out on top.

Australia tops the FDI Strategy category of fDi's Tourism Locations of the Future 2019/20 rankings, followed by Costa Rica and Azerbaijan.

Lithuania's Go Vilnius has been named fDi’s IPA of the Year for 2019, and organisations from across the globe are commended for their investment promotion and economic development activities. 

A look at the results of fDi’s rankings throughout 2019 finds that Singapore and New York dominated the year’s league tables, followed by Shanghai, Tokyo and London

Atlantis in South Africa has a new SEZ focused on green manufacturing, which is hoping to turn around the area's fortunes. Annie Hessler reports.

The UK is the Europe's leading destination for foreign investment in green energy, followed by Spain, finds fDi’s Top European Locations for Renewable Energy Investment.

What if the coronavirus lasts until the end of the year? Lawrence Yeo has a bleak forecast.

The Investment and Tourism Agency of Riga on the way to reshape the global image of Riga 

The federal state of Brandenburg is committed to ensuring investors are welcomed into Frankfurt (Oder) through a string of generous incentives.

Frankfurt (Oder) is building on the strengths of its university to foster the development of successful start-ups through new co-working spaces and the promotion of sustainable practices and products. 

Stevens Mokgalapa talks about foreign investment opportunities and challenges in South Africa’s administrative capital, and the balancing act of development and environmental needs in the developing world.

Having opened new production facilities in Rwanda and South Africa, Mara Phones is looking to alter Africa's mindset from being a 'consumer' to being a 'manufacturer'. 

Continued African development could hinge on public finance reforms.

Tesla's decision part of broader trend of investment into Germany at UK's expense.

Despite its thriving automotive sector, Gothenburg is vulnerable to global economic pressures. However, local authorities are confident that their strategies will see the city ride out the uncertainties related to Brexit and the US-China trade wars.

US web infrastructure and cyber security company Cloudflare wants to improve people’s internet experiences through affordable, reliable and accessible interconnection points, especially in less privileged parts of the world.