Analytics
5/20/14
Using data to improve your life
It’s easy to dream of all of the ways in which organizations can use data to further their business. The fun doesn’t have to only be left up to organizations, though: have you ever stopped to think about all of the ways data can be used in everyday life? Similar to organizations, individuals can benefit […]
By Matt HerndonRead More
10/23/13
Big data is not required for big insights
You’ve probably heard a lot about Big Data. Big Data is going to change the world. Big Data is going to change how organizations are run. Big Data is going to clean our garage and walk our dog. Big Data vs. Small/Medium Data And maybe Big Data will do that–for big organizations. If you’re […]
By Kevin RainesRead More
5/23/13
Sometimes beautiful data is only skin deep
We’ve been talking a lot about the importance of conveying data visually lately (ok, and not-so-lately…here are posts from 2008 and 2011), and you have no doubt recently heard a thing or two about big data. And while we love beautiful infographics, and the power of big data (and medium data), we must be careful not […]
By David KennedyRead More
3/1/13
How’s your driving? Using data to answer your questions.
You’ve probably heard about auto insurance companies offering discounts based on actual driving behavior (collected by a device plugged into the car). Progressive’s Snapshot discount is one such example that has been heavily promoted. Why are insurance companies turning to these devices? One w0rd: risk. The more accurately they can gauge their risk of having […]
By David KennedyRead More
2/4/13
The Power of Numbers
Numbers are an interesting thing. We all have an innate sense of quantities, but numbers are a culturally agreed upon format for representing those quantities. When we are trying to convey quantitative information to other people, the choice between “7 days” vs. “1 week” or “100 out of 300” vs. “1 out of 3” often […]
By Kate DarwentRead More
1/23/13
Demographics and Political Representation
Per longstanding tradition, we had a presidential election in 2004, and per longstanding tradition, there was debate about whether the Electoral College was a fair way to elect a president. Now, I’m not a political junkie so I make no claims of expertise in that area, however my intrigue with data and demographics hooked me […]
By Kevin RainesRead More
1/9/13
Cartography: Pros and Cons
Data visualizations and infographics have grown in popularity. More and more data is produced and our ability to absorb it in a meaningful manner has decreased. By relying more on graphics and less on numbers alone to tell the story, the key message(s) can more easily be distilled. (Follow us on Facebook where we frequently […]
By David KennedyRead More
1/7/13
Lies, damn lies, and search data
We’ve all heard the old saying, “there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Perhaps the 21st century version is, “lies, damn lies, and search data”? The Google Maps team recently analyzed search data for the summer travel season “to gain a sense” of where we (at least in North America) traveled this summer. I bet you can’t […]
By David KennedyRead More
11/27/12
The Black Mobile Cyber Small Business sale
Are you recovered yet from the frantic weekend of deal hunting? First you had Mobile Thursday (haven’t heard of that one yet? see below), then Black Friday, followed by Small Business Saturday, and then (after taking Sunday off) you had Cyber Monday. With all the hype it’s hard to know where the interest is among […]
By David KennedyRead More
3/9/12
MythTrouncers Episode 2: We don’t need more research. We already have so much data, we don’t know what to do with it.
Myth: We don’t need more research. We already have so much data, we don’t know what to do with it. If you’re thinking something along this line, you’re doubtlessly not alone. We very frequently work with organizations of all kinds that don’t know what to do with all of the information they’ve collected over the […]
By Holly RussoRead More