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Blogs

Analytics

Find out how analytics, from data mining to cognitive computing, is changing the way we do business

Analytics

Bill ColemanOctober 4, 2012 0

How can local governments add clarity and confidence to budgeting?

As much as I enjoy dramatic reinterpretations, for this blog post I’m just going to talk to you about the complex challenges municipal organizations face in setting spending priorities. The complexity stems from competing aspects of the various projects vying for funding. Some of these factors are related to the

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Analytics | Fraud & Security Intelligence

Carl HammersburgSeptember 20, 2012 0

Social Network Analysis and the government fraudster

Detecting and preventing fraud isn't easy. Many tools and techniques are required, and while the digital age and advanced technologies have made fraud much easier in many ways, those same technologies have opened up new ways to combat it. One of those comes in the form of social network analysis,

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Analytics

Chuck EllstromSeptember 13, 2012 0

Are attacks on government pensions overblown?

Government pensions at the state and local government level have come under attack in recent years over their viability. Much of this attack has been political and is being used to go after unions and pensioners who tend to support one party or another. State and local governments work hard to maintain viable

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Analytics

Bill ColemanSeptember 10, 2012 0

Hard hitting interview with city CIO reveals value of analytics, coercion

This is a dramatic interpretation of an actual conversation I recently had with the CIO of one of North Carolina’s leading cities. We discussed his experience using data quality, data integration, business intelligence and analytics in the daily operation of the city. I may have taken some...well, a lot of

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Analytics

Chuck EllstromAugust 14, 2012 0

Bending the health care cost curve, Affordable Care Act or not

Recently, there has been lot of uproar and confusion about the Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Many were surprised by the ruling, and others, while happy it was upheld, are concerned about the constitutional questions that arose due to the way the ruling was

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Analytics

Vincent TalucciJuly 31, 2012 0

Entrepreneurship at its worst in wake of Aurora tragedy

My sleep patterns are erratic (and somewhat torturous) – they range from sleeping solidly for eight hours a clip to me wandering aimlessly about the house at 3am. Unfortunately, the latter was the reality during the wee hours of Friday, July 20; I was up watching ESPN (my typical late

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Analytics

Bill ColemanJuly 27, 2012 0

Managing fire department operations using analytics

Fire department operations are very complex, with multi-faceted missions that include not only fire prevention and suppression, but emergency response and fire inspections. These must be coordinated with area growth and development decisions, and water system management decisions. When a fire or an emergency occurs, the right equipment, with the right people,

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Analytics

Melissa SavageJuly 18, 2012 0

Four E's of crash analytics, part 4: Emergency response

We've introduced the topic of the Four E's and discussed the role of analytics in Enforcement and Engineering. Now let's delve into Emergency Response. A quick emergency response can make all the difference in saving the lives of crash victims. Many vehicles can now communicate directly with emergency responders immediately after

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Analytics

Bill ColemanJuly 11, 2012 0

Building a culture of government accountability through data and leadership

Most management literature and studies posit that organizations with a clear mission and work objectives, understood by all levels of the organization, are the most productive. The key to that success is effectively communicating the mission, agreeing on key performance indicators and giving employees at all levels access to relevant

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Analytics | Fraud & Security Intelligence

Carl HammersburgJune 28, 2012 0

Government fraud and the Goldilocks Complex

We've all heard of her. A little blond girl with a penchant for trespassing, and very finicky preferences in mattresses and breakfast food. Unfortunately, Goldilocks isn't just part of a fairy tale, she is alive, well, and causing havoc throughout government. If you haven't made the connection yet, "bear" with

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Analytics

Melissa SavageJune 14, 2012 0

Analytics keep Bay Area Rapid Transit on time

When I was growing up, summertime always meant a road trip to see my grandparents and great-grandparents in Concord, California, just outside San Francisco. Most of our time in Concord was spent shuffling between relatives but my parents always made time for a day trip into San Francisco. On these

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Analytics

Melissa SavageMay 29, 2012 0

Four E's of crash analytics, part 3: Engineering

We're at stop #3 on the crash analytics highway. We've introduced the topic of the Four E's and have discussed the role of analytics in Enforcement. Now let's talk about Engineering. Safety, reliability and accessibility are all key components in road design. Traffic engineers work to make the driving environment

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Analytics

Melissa SavageApril 30, 2012 0

Four E's of crash analytics, part 2: Enforcement

Last week I introduced this series. Today I begin to dive deeper into each of the four E's. First up? Enforcement. In 2009, there were 5.5 million police-reported traffic crashes. Law enforcement officers work diligently to prevent crashes by enforcing traffic safety laws pertaining to, among other things, seat belt

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Analytics

April 25, 2012 0

The value of high-performance analytics

Like Vince said a few days ago, you don’t have to be Goliath to see how the intersection of big data and high performance analytics creates competitive advantage. Let’s also be realistic though: compared to someone like Walmart, pretty much everyone’s David! While Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank may not be the largest companies by global measures, they’re still

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Analytics

April 24, 2012 0

New analytics book from Bill Franks

Bill Franks’s new book, Taming the Big Data Tidal Wave: Finding Opportunities in Huge Data Streams with Advanced Analytics, has just released. This book shows how big data is changing the world of analytics; what people, processes, technologies, and mindsets are necessary to succeed in analytics in this new era;

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Analytics

Melissa SavageApril 19, 2012 0

The four E's of crash analytics: Part 1

The leading cause of death for Americans between 5 and 34 isn’t what most would expect. It’s not disease or acute illness. It’s traffic crashes. The good news is that the number of highway deaths has steadily decreased the last few years, yet crashes still cause more than 30,000 fatalities and

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Analytics | Programming Tips

Rick WicklinMarch 30, 2012 0

Generate a random matrix with specified eigenvalues

In a previous post I showed how to implement Stewart's (1980) algorithm for generating random orthogonal matrices in SAS/IML software. By using the algorithm, it is easy to generate a random matrix that contains a specified set of eigenvalues. If D = diag(λ1, ..., λp) is a diagonal matrix and

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Analytics

Vincent TalucciMarch 23, 2012 0

Promises, (over)promises

As public safety officials leaf through their favorite criminal justice periodical they are greeted with pages and pages of analytics advertisements. These ads are laden with promises of robust and scalable solutions, improved efficiencies and, yes, the promise of prediction. While reading the advertisements, the mental conversation may go something

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Analytics

Melissa SavageMarch 15, 2012 0

Fallen interstate sign shows importance of asset management

A few weeks ago, in Northern Virginia, a 30 foot highway sign fell onto I-66 and landed on a passing pickup truck. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it drew media attention and caused motorists in the area to wonder about the safety of other signs and the transportation network

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Analytics

Melissa SavageFebruary 9, 2012 0

Analytics helping transportation officials get the job done in tight financial times

The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials recently released a top 10 list of transportation issues that will be “talked, written or tweeted and legislated about” in 2012. As expected, funding constraints and Congressional action on reauthorization appear on the list but the group also notes that natural disaster

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Analytics

Vincent TalucciFebruary 2, 2012 0

Predictive policing is passé

My colleague, Steve Serrao, just published a blog post on the proliferation of varied law enforcement approaches and their related phraseologies. After reading, I concur – hence, this blog’s title. I am not a huge fan of the term “predictive policing”. While others may love it and live it, and

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Analytics

Bill ColemanJanuary 24, 2012 0

Local government impact of rising group medical and insurance costs, and what can be done

The single most costly employee benefit for any organization is health insurance, and the price is going up. From 2003-2009, the costs per hour worked for employee health insurance increased from $1.03 to $2.00. These costs continue to increase from 5%-7% per year. The reality is that employee health insurance costs will continue

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Analytics

Bill ColemanJanuary 24, 2012 0

Analysis of 311 call data can lead to better service, lower costs

Many cities and counties are taking the lead of private industry and developing 311 call centers to consolidate incoming calls for service and information requests from citizens. The business advantages are clear: Citizens have one number to call for service and information rather than having to waste time searching for

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Analytics | Data for Good

Vincent TalucciJanuary 24, 2012 0

A sad reality: Crises drive positive change within criminal justice

All too often an unspeakable tragedy leads to a needed policy or operational change through a newly-realized criminal justice system gap. While we continually work to minimize existing gaps, the reality is that as law enforcement evolves, so does the crime and so do the criminals. In recognition of those

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Analytics

Bill ColemanJanuary 17, 2012 0

Using analytics to manage capital projects funding & costs

Cities and counties are responsible for building and maintaining the infrastructure to support a broad range of services. Local governments must develop and implement multiyear capital projects plans that provide infrastructure for things such as jails, courts, public office buildings, streets, bridges, parks, athletic complexes and community centers, water treatment

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Analytics | SAS Events

January 16, 2012 0

Our conference lineup for 2012

Here at SAS Publishing, we’ve started the new year off with a bang, particularly when it comes to conferences. We’re attending a number of new shows in addition to the usual lineup this year. Visit our booth, meet our authors, check out our new and forthcoming titles, and talk with

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Analytics | Students & Educators

Nadja YoungJanuary 12, 2012 0

The art and science of seating charts

A’s in the front, Z’s in the back. How many of us grew up sitting in alphabetical order next to the same few classmates throughout school? While this is a quick and efficient way to learn student names, which is no easy task, it is not the most effective way

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Education | Government

Analytics

Melissa SavageJanuary 9, 2012 0

Phone distraction just one part of traffic crash picture

During one week in December, two separate transportation agencies within the federal government made two major announcements. First, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – the government agency responsible for guiding traffic safety initiatives on the nation’s highways announced that crash fatalities had declined to record low rates. Just

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Analytics

Bill ColemanJanuary 2, 2012 0

Moving local government to analytics-based enterprise performance management

Local governments are not immune to the rising demand for more accountability in government run services and programs, and the expenditure of public funds. Elected officials and citizens alike want to know what these programs accomplish for the public investment made. To date, the response to these questions and demands has been

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