Where is solar and wind power generated in the US? Let's visualize this data on a map... I recently saw the following map on the metricmaps.org website. It caught my attention because it looks like North Carolina has a lot of solar power plants, whereas our neighboring states have very few.
I ran across a map recently that seemed to show a lot of US states are primarily coal-powered. The map was a little difficult to read, so I decided to give it a SAS makeover ... Before we get started, here's a picture my friend David took of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power
I usually try to avoid political or religious debates ... but as an impartial data analyst, it is possible to analyze data about something, without entering into the debate. In this blog post, I try to walk that fine line, and analyze data about the political leanings of religious groups in the US.
Carlos Pinheiro is talented. One afternoon Carlos stood in front of a group of marketers including myself, and shared social network analysis using our data. Yes, the analysis took talent, but the real brilliance was that Carlos presented the information in a way where we all left the meeting with
Were you the kid who sat there analyzing the amusement park map before entering the park, planning out how you could visit the most rides in the least amount of time? If so, then this blog's for you, my data analyst kindred spirit! And to get you in the mood,
Il concetto di as-a-Service è uno dei paradigmi più importanti nel campo IT (e non solo) degli ultimi anni. Permette non solo di adottare una tecnologia innovativa, ma anche di decidere quale grado di complessità affrontare nella sua implementazione. Non è necessario essere un esperto per poter accedere a qualcosa di nuovo
First it was the patriarch of my favorite family. That shocking Red Wedding scene meant I could cross off several more characters I’d grown to love. When the season finale of Season 5 left me asking if we’d lost yet another one of my favorites, I wasn’t sure how much
One of my favorite quotes is: "You can't believe everything you read on the Internet" - Abe Lincoln, 1868. And that is especially true when it comes to graphs and statistics. Hardly a day goes by without me seeing a bad graph that misrepresents the data (either intentionally or unintentionally) .
Open Source und SAS – das sind auf den ersten Blick zwei ganz verschiedene Welten. Dabei verfolgt SAS eine ganze Reihe von Initiativen rund um Open Source – insbesondere im Umfeld des Big-Data-Frameworks Hadoop. Ich habe Andreas Gödde zum Nebeneinander und Miteinander der Technologien befragt. Andreas Gödde berät viele Kunden
What would it be like if the US was in the EU? I don't know how that would work out politically, but this map shows how it might look geographically (if the US was literally picked up and moved to Europe!) My buddy Rick Langston is a bit of a
Modernization is a term used to describe the necessary evolution of information technologies that organizations rely on to remain competitive in today’s constantly changing business world. New technologies – many designed to better leverage big data – challenge existing data infrastructures and business models. This forces enterprises to modernize their approach to data
We all find change easier when it starts with something we’re familiar with. That’s why I think sports analytics examples are popular – most of us are sports fans, so we get it more easily. It’s also why automotive examples that illustrate the potential reach of the Internet of Things
Are you caught up in the recent Pokémon Go craze? Or maybe just trying to figure out what all the fuss is about? In this blog post, I try to analyze all the important Pokémon-related data in one graph! When the original Pokémon game first came out around 1995, you needed
The fourth and final post in the series about a state government center of analytics concentrates on the big question – what value does analytics bring to business? (Links to previous entries are at the conclusion of this post.) While this “show me the money” question can be answered in
Modernization is a term used to describe the necessary evolution of information technologies that organizations rely on to remain competitive in today’s constantly changing business world. New technologies – many designed to better leverage big data – challenge existing data infrastructures and business models. This forces enterprises to modernize their approach to data
I've noticed fewer and fewer people smoking these days, and was wondering who the last holdouts are. Let's run some numbers and find out... Back in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s it seems like almost everyone smoked. You hardly ever saw the "cool kids" such as James Dean without a cigarette -
Regardless of the industry and the company size, companies today have access to a huge amount of data. In order to convert this Big Data into useful insights, analytics strategies aligned with business objectives are required, supported by technology, commitment of the top management and a cultural shift that involves the entire organization. A
With the recent vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union being all over the news, I was a bit embarrassed to realize I didn't know exactly what areas are (and aren't) considered part of the UK. After a few Google searches, I found the following map on the
In recent years, more and more people have been registering as independent voters in the US, rather than Democrat or Republican - the independents now control well over 1/3 of the votes. Will they likely vote for the Democrat or Republican candidates in the upcoming election? Let's break down some numbers
Here in the US, our July 4th Independence Day holiday is coming up. It's a festive holiday with lots of fun & fireworks, but you also need to also be careful ... and I've got the graphs to prove it! Last year, I wrote a blog post about a SAS
Collecting, managing, standardizing and analyzing clinical data during (and after) a clinical trial is crucial in the process for submission and regulatory approval of a new compound, biological, device or other therapy. A central clinical platform requires: Robust and auditable analytics to prove the result to the authorities and external
When I travel for work, I want to get the most out of my trip. So while I was in Las Vegas in April for SAS Global Forum, I used my free time to check out what’s in store for the Analytics Experience at the Bellagio, Sept. 12-14. Take a
For the first time in 4.5 years, we had a day with zero sunspots - I think this special occasion calls for some sunspot graphs! But before we get started, here's one of the many pictures my friend Kirk took of the sun down in Marco Island, Florida. Spots or no
In my last blog post, I introduced common concerns I’ve heard about predictive analytics in child well-being efforts. In this post, I want to address those concerns and reassure leaders and advocates that predictive analytics can be a tremendous boon to our ability to help kids and ease the burden on
La tecnología se ha convertido en el nuevo asistente técnico de los equipos de fútbol y está claro que el uso de la analítica puede contribuir al éxito en el campo, la tribuna o la taquilla. El uso de soluciones para analizar datos genera resultados impactantes en los equipos de
Teacher salaries have been a hotly debated issue in our state for the past few years. In this blog post, I examine a graph that recently appeared in our local news, point out some deficiencies, and create an alternate graph. But before we get started, here's a picture of my
The US has almost 400 national parks, and has been keeping attendance data for about 100 years. With a holiday weekend coming up, I thought this would be a good time to crunch those numbers, and see how each park compares to all the others... I first saw the tip of
La grandeza de sus datos probablemente no es la característica más importante. De hecho, puede que ni siquiera figure dentro de los aspectos relevantes por los cuales usted debería preocuparse. La calidad, la integración de los silos, la manipulación y la extracción de valor de los datos no estructurados siguen
As state and local government leaders and community advocates explore how predictive analytics can improve child well-being outcomes, many questions and potential concerns surface. It is critical to understand that government youth services agencies across the United States have used actuarial Risk & Need Assessment tools for many years. Many
Do you need help picking a summer vacation destination - one that's not just great, but surreal? If so, this blog's for you! It's that time of the year again - I've got gobs of vacation time saved up, but I was drawing a blank on where to go... So I turned
