by Angela Guess
Mary Shacklett recently wrote in TechRepublic, “We are surrounded by more ‘hidden’ applications of big data, analytics, sensors, and business intelligence than we probably know—and in places where we might not imagine it. Here are 10 ways this behind-the-scenes tech is redefining how the world works. (1) Weather and political prediction systems for global supply chain and financial market impacts. With the impact of global warming and climate change, companies want to know in advance when areas of the world are likely to be affected by typhoons, heat waves, fire, and other weather calamities, The goal for companies with long, global supply chains is to predict (and prepare for) potential disruptions at suppliers and within their supply chains that could be brought about by a weather disturbance or possibly by political unrest.”
Shacklett’s list continues, “(2) Merchandising. For years, retailers have known that the most popular items should be placed on easy-to-access shelves, with the slower moving items placed on lower shelves. But with the advent of big data and the ability to capture live video and photo clips and combine them with data and other analytics, they can now chart the paths that shoppers take though stores, see which items they reach for most, and analyze their affinity for various items and how placement affects it. These new analytics take in-store merchandising to new levels.”
photo credit: Flickr/ dno1967b