Blogs

Blogs

Data for Good

See how data is being used to address humanitarian issues around the world

Data for Good | Machine Learning

Tom SaboJuly 6, 2016 0

Sentiment analysis, machine learning open up world of possibilities

When a person feels sufficiently wronged to lodge a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), there’s likely to be some negative sentiment involved. But is there a connection between the language they use and the likelihood they will be compensated by the offending company? At the upcoming Sentiment

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Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonJune 22, 2016 0

Are there Zika mosquitoes in your county?

Let's create a souped-up SAS map that can track Zika-carrying mosquitoes down to the county level, in the US! A few months ago, I wrote a blog post with a world map of documented locations of the Aedes mosquitoes that could carry the Zika virus. The world map showed a high concentration

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Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonJune 14, 2016 0

The big fat truth about the US weight problem

I recently read an article that claims 35% of men, and 40% of women in the US are now obese. Yikes! I wondered when this happened, and whether it had been a gradual or sudden change. If I only had some graphs ... which the article didn't provide. I did some

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Data for Good | Data Management

David DowningJune 7, 2016 0

Why evidence, not culture, is the key to driving value-based healthcare

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) Confederation has done lots of great research on how to enhance decision making so that every decision delivers greater value to patients (in terms of clinical outcome) and to health care organisations (in terms of operational effectiveness). In its most recent report on this

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Analytics | Data for Good

Will JonesJune 6, 2016 0

Tackling 4 common concerns about analytics for child well-being

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

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Analytics | Data for Good

Will JonesMay 23, 2016 0

Addressing concerns of predictive analytics for child well-being

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

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Data for Good | Internet of Things

$#@!

Marcia Elaine Walker

Marcia Elaine WalkerApril 27, 2016 0

Filtering the signal from the noise: The lifesaving value of experience when analytics matter

The expletive leapt from the lips of the orthopedic surgeon as he entered my hospital room. He was swathed in a green gown, purple gloves, and a white surgical mask – for his protection, not mine. He was clearly upset. “What, exactly, does $#@! mean?” I asked. “It means you’re

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Health Care | Manufacturing

Data for Good

David DowningApril 26, 2016 0

Why clinical insights, not budgets, hold the key to value-based healthcare

Right now, National Health Service (NHS) managers and clinicians in the UK are under phenomenal pressure to find big efficiency savings while improving the value of services to patients. Many in the NHS see integrated care as the answer. But the first step is finding innovative ways to increase the

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Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonApril 19, 2016 0

Looking for cheaters in the Boston Marathon data

With more and more data available these days, and computers that can analyze that data, it's becoming feasible to look for fraud in events such as the Boston Marathon. So put on your detective hat, and follow along as I show you how to use SAS to be a data sleuth!

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Sports & Entertainment

Data for Good | Data Visualization | Students & Educators

Elliot InmanApril 6, 2016 0

Data science: Storytelling in the 21st century

For thousands of years, the human experience has been recorded by storytellers. Stories tell the tale of our lives: beginning, middle and end. Stories document the triumphs and tragedies of heroes and villains and everything in between. Human beings are storytellers -- it's a trait as uniquely human as an

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Data for Good

Jill DychéMarch 25, 2016 0

Big data, one dog at a time

A few years ago, in the height of my workaholism, I took up a hobby. I go to sketchy neighborhoods around L.A. and hang out with dogs I don’t know. I have a long history of adopting and fostering shelter dogs, often getting them out on their “euth dates.” With

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Advanced Analytics | Data for Good

Alan CudneyMarch 22, 2016 0

Dignity Health demonstrates the power of advanced analytics at HIMSS16

According to Lloyd Dean, president and CEO, "At Dignity Health, we are committed to developing partnerships and opportunities that harness the tremendous potential of technology, from improving the patient experience to providing caregivers with tools that will support their day-to-day care decisions." Dignity Health, one of the largest health systems

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Data for Good | Work & Life at SAS

Michael ThomasFebruary 12, 2016 0

The scholastic chess championship for all of North Carolina

North Carolina has over 300 miles of wide, flat Atlantic beaches as well as the highest mountain in the eastern United States, Mount Mitchell. The variety is impressive for a state that isn't even in the top half of the 50 states by size. One key reason is geometric: North Carolina

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Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonFebruary 9, 2016 0

Driving 74 million cars on wasted natural gas

Did you know you could drive 74 million cars using the wasted natural gas that is flared from oil wells and refineries? Learn more details in this blog post! Flaring (burning) is commonly used to dispose of natural gas produced at oil and gas facilities that lack the infrastructure to capture it

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Energy & Utilities | Travel

Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonFebruary 3, 2016 0

Where might Zika virus strike next?

The World Health Organization recently declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency. This virus is spread by certain mosquitoes, and therefore if we know where those mosquitoes are located, then we've got a pretty good idea of where the virus might spread. Before we get to the numbers, here

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Analytics | Data for Good

Will JonesJanuary 21, 2016 0

CNBC highlights promise of analytics in child protective services

“What keeps you awake at night?” my colleague asked me. At the time, I was a child protective services administrator responsible for thousands of at risk children on any given day. While there were many things that weighed on my mind, worker turnover created many sleepless nights, and days filled

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Analytics | Data for Good | Students & Educators

Nadja YoungNovember 25, 2015 0

How does a highly effective teacher unlock student potential?

“(Teaching) is an incredible opportunity to be a catalyst for what we want the future to be," says Shannon Hardy, a 21-year math and science teacher from The Exploris School, a Wake County charter school in Raleigh, NC. Ms. Hardy uses data not just as a summative measurement tool, but

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Education | Government

Analytics | Data for Good

Will JonesNovember 23, 2015 0

Child protection agencies lagging in use of analytics to protect kids

What happened to the adage, "What gets measured, gets done"? Though progress is being made, there are too many child protection agencies that have yet to understand the profound impact data-informed policy and practice have on performance outcomes, as well as staff retention and satisfaction. Without dipping deep into the

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Advanced Analytics | Data for Good | Students & Educators

Nadja YoungNovember 10, 2015 0

Highly effective teacher, coach and his student, athlete

This post shares the story of a teacher and coach, and a student-athlete who was the first in his family to graduate college, attend graduate school, and aspires to become a Mathematics professor. It's the first entry in a blog series that will highlight some tremendous educators with whom I’ve

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Education | Government

Data for Good

Paul JonesNovember 2, 2015 0

5 tips for using big data for the public good

Over the last few years I’ve seen and worked on many transformational projects with big data, especially those that tap into big data’s ability to provide new and improved services for the public good. But there’s also a danger that analytics, unchecked, can do social harm by indirectly discriminating against

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Data for Good

I-sah HsiehOctober 30, 2015 0

Navigating big disasters with big data

Population movement is higher than ever. Buoyed by freedom of movement and critical events such as armed conflict and the European migrant issue, large groups of people are migrating across borders. In fact, population movement has now reached record levels. There are currently more displaced people globally than during the whole

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Analytics | Data for Good

Kay MeyerOctober 5, 2015 0

Toxic stress and poverty: Using data to change outcomes

People encounter stress in all types of situations. Positive stress occurs when we are exposed to new situations or challenges, perhaps a new job or attending a new school – this type of stress is typically short term and is a necessary factor in healthy development. Tolerable stress results from

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Data for Good

Will JonesSeptember 21, 2015 0

Protect child welfare workers with better information

A Vermont Department of Children Families (DCF) worker was murdered last month. The lead suspect is the mother of a child that was previously removed from her care and placed in foster care. This tragedy illustrates the challenges and risks that workers have in the field of serving at risk

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Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonAugust 18, 2015 0

What areas do venture capitalists invest in medical research?

The Wall Street Journal recently published a study of the top 17 medical areas (or body parts) that venture capitalist investments are likely to benefit. They used graphs to summarize the results, but "the graph guy" in me just couldn't resist trying to improve them. Did my improvements help? -

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Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonJuly 9, 2015 0

Bald eagles return to the United States!

Bald eagles, the national bird of the United States, came perilously close to becoming extinct here, but are now making a comeback! Let's look at the data with a SAS map! When I was growing up in the 1970s & 80s here in North Carolina, I spent a lot of time

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Analytics | Data for Good

Will JonesJune 12, 2015 0

Child welfare experts urge data sharing and the use of analytics to protect children, families

I remember when I first started in public child welfare 21 years ago and the word "outcomes" was introduced. At that time, we believed that if it felt good and children and families seemed happy that we were doing a good job - those were our outcomes. We were wrong.

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Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonJune 11, 2015 0

Mapping the 50 US hospitals with the highest price markups

A recent study by Bai & Anderson has found that some hospitals charge 10x (ie, 1000%) higher than the standard rates set by Medicare. Many news agencies have posted the list of the 50 US hospitals that have the highest markup. But I am more visually oriented, so of course I used SAS

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Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonJune 9, 2015 0

Tracking West Nile virus mosquitos in the US

Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito? What are the odds it carried the West Nile virus? ... Perhaps a lot higher than you thought! Here's a picture of a mosquito that kept 'bugging' me around my computer desk at home - good riddance, I say!

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Analytics | Data for Good

Will JonesMay 18, 2015 0

National Foster Care Month recognizes those striving to give kids stable lives, and bright futures

In 1988 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May as National Foster Care Month as a way to recognize foster parents for opening their homes to and caring for children in need. This annual celebration has grown to generate awareness of foster care and a recognition of all involved. The children, foster

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Data for Good

Kay MeyerMay 7, 2015 0

Spread the word! National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day highlights an ongoing crisis

Everyone loves a “mental health” day, one of those days when we get to relax and escape from the everyday worries and stresses of life. Imagine the challenge of dealing with true mental health issues everyday – especially as a child or youth where mental health issues can cause isolation,

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