A step closer to replacing humankind with computers

For the course Business Information Technology we interviewed Professor Emiel Krahmer, who is currently leading the VICI project. In this project, researchers try to analyze how humans refer to objects like 'that man with the purse or that man with the beard' and create a system which enables computer systems to refer as people do. In the future, your navigation system will not say 'Turn right after 500 meters', but 'Turn right after the supermarket'. 

If, in the future, machines can interpret and generate language like humans, when will they take over jobs like teaching? For example, a teacher doesn`t know everything, even when he wrote the book himself, but a computer does know the whole book, word for word.

Here is the full interview:

When poop hits the fan twice!

As mentioned in the previous blog, the number one frustration in the Dutch public space is dog poop. With this project we try to 'beat shit with science' [snoep-dog.blogspot.com]. Concretely, we are trying to solve the poop problem with previous research; combining psychological-, sociological, cognitive and human interface designing studies to develop a device which services as well as the dog as the dog owner. 

Almost every dog owner in the Netherlands has to pay dog taxes up to € 118 depending on the region he lives in*. These taxes are reserved for cleaning up the dog feces, but why should a dog owner clean the feces while he pay taxes to get the feces cleaned? A more honest policy should reward dog owners who do clean their dogs’ feces.

The concept for our design is very simple: reward the dog owner for cleaning up the feces and reward the dog for making it easy for the dog owner by pooping near the bin. Our study showed that the biggest annoyance concerning cleaning feces is walking with a filled bag of hot doggy output. To reduce the distance of walking with a filled bag we thought of the Pavlov effect, which is rewarding the dog for pooping near the bin by giving him a dog candy after the owner deposits a filled bag. On the other hand, the owner is being rewarded financially by a tax deduction or by playing a game to win a dog toy, the owner can choose only one option per bag deposit.

We are now in the evaluation phase, where we test the interface and the bin on experts and potential users. Let`s hope that the next blog will be about the results of this phase..

* Tax for one dog, in 2011

When poop hits the fan!

A totally different but still relevant subject for todays` blog: beating the biggest problem in the Netherlands! No it isn`t the economical crisis, traffic, terrorism, globalization or the melting of the North pole, no it is dog shit lying on the pavement waiting for people to step on. By the way, did you ever see a dog stepping in one?

In the past few weeks, my blog was about: social media, information systems, business intelligence and computer clouding. A typical question in a intelligence test could be: what is the next topic? A. mobile phones, B. IT in airplanes, or C. dog shit. I guess that only analphabetic and blind people would answer the question correct.  

For our course User Interface Design (UID) we had to choose a project in which we design a product according to several designing rules and methods. After a bad choice and several brainstorming session we came to the conclusion to design a dog poop bin which solves the poop problem. Brainstorming should be extreme, but I never thought that it would be this extreme…

During this project we learned allot and have developed a quite good poop bin. I`m not ashamed to tell my friends about it, because the idea behind this bin is 100% scientific, and it looks nice! (for a poopbin). 

This project is all about designing a system for users. It makes no difference in designing a door, database, website or a space shuttle in the designing perspective (yeah, maybe that was to extreme, but you know what I mean if you keep reading). The goal of a good designer is to design a product which is easy and fun to use, if possible. Norman (2002) gives a clear example: why do designers make a pull bar on the side of the door where u need to push, not pull? Almost everyone that doesn`t live in the jungle has pulled a door while he had to push it, or the other way around. Blame the designer! If the door opens by pushing, then don’t make a pull bar on that side, the only way to open that door would be pushing, so no problem.. and you save a pull and push sticker.

With the development of the bin we have learned, and still learn to design good products by thinking like a designer, not a technician or a decorator.  In the next blog I will get into more detail on our project and the connection between this en previous blogs should become more clear..

The ‘new world order’ in IT

Since the beginning of the computer era, computers are treated as individual machines. The term  'Personal Computer' (PC) is made up by marketing guys to make it sound more friendly, and sellable. Each PC has its own hard- and software and can function independently.

The ‘new  computer world order’ is a world where Personal Computers become Mass Computers; the user only sees the monitor, keyboard and mouse, other hard- and software are located and executed somewhere else. The monitor contains a network adapter which sends the information via internet, maybe thousands of miles away, to a server where that users` space and hardware is reserved.

A part of this concept isn`t new for large organizations, where software is stored and executed on central servers, located in the same building as the users. I`m sure that you even use these applications; from a simple website to webmail. The webmail for example, is being executed on a mail server, the users` computer only shows the results, in this case the emails.  

The Pros and Cons of cloud computing
Every computer is a Personal Computer thanks to Mass computing. The personal configurations like: email, desktop wallpaper, pictograms, files and file structure, internet favorites, etcetera are available at every computer that has access to the cloud provider. It is a matter of logging in, and your personal configuration is run on a server and shown on your monitor as if it is run on a ‘not-clouded PC’. The fast internet connection and high performance servers on the other side of the network, will give the user the feeling that the applications are executed local.
Because hard and software is managed in large numbers and the specialization of the cloud provider, the IT costs will be considerable lower.

There is one large con: the organization depends  completely on the cloud provider. Giving the most essential part of the organization to another organization is for most potential users a bridge to far. Not only the privacy sensitive data, but also the possibility of the whole IT system going offline, is like putting your hart in the hands of a strangers.

It looks like there is no turning back, one day all computers will be clouded!

BI (Business intelligence) fails

Different research show that Business intelligence fails, in most cases. Only 3,4 percent of the public sector is successful in implementing BI (Pensioned 2006, 2007 & 2008). According to the Consultancy guide 2010, 70 percent of ECM-projects (Enterprise Content Management) fail.

Where does it go wrong?
BI is still seen as an IT solution, a technical solution, an extra service from the IT department. However BI is nothing more than a tool to analyze the company generated information. BI users should use the tool to generated knowledge out of the received information, and experience to create business rules.

The wrong attitude
Most consumers make the mistake of buying the TV with the most functionalities and make the buy unnecessary expensive and complex. A lot of functionalities are actually never used, while it takes a lot of time to get to know them. Research the possibilities and decide which product is the best according to your needs. Everything you have that you don`t need is not only pure waste, but it is deadweight that will slow you down. In the case of BI this means that the manager has to analyze the available products, and the company for a possible marriage between the two. According to Daan van Beek from advies- en onderzoeksbureau Pensioned, the large number of failing BI projects is the result of buying a product which doesn`t match the company culture. It doesn`t make sense to implement tools to monitor the performance with the intention of increasing it, while the culture disables the conversation on bad performance.

The wrong image
Like I said before, for most managers BI is a gadget which is ‘cool’ to have. The possibilities are exciting. However, due to the extreme focus on the gadget the soft side, the human side of the story is forgotten. According to Pensioned (2006, 2007 & 2008) only 21 percent of the BI implementation had a good success, and only 6,6 percent a excellent success. Van Beek argues that we don’t need to get discouraged, we know now how to succeed. We need to focus more on the human side of PB and PM (Performance Management).

http://www.computable.nl/artikel/ict_topics/business_intelligence/3708485/1277145/de-toegevoegde-waarde-van-een-bicc.html

http://www.computable.nl/artikel/ict_topics/business_intelligence/2838407/1277145/publieke-sector-kan-geen-bi-implementeren.html

http://www.computable.nl/artikel/ict_topics/business_intelligence/2838407/1277145/publieke-sector-kan-geen-bi-implementeren.html

Business intelligence in practice

In the past blog I`ve promised to give some examples of Business intelligence in practice. I`ve divided this into two parts. This week it’s time for some success stories. The next blog will be about the disasters that BI can create, have fun! 

The water company case

Most people do not realize that there is a complex system behind our water tap that allows us to drink fresh clean water. The water company in Groningen is one of the companies that are responsible for this. The water company is using BI (Business intelligence) to optimize their information system. To optimize the water distribution The water company started to use OPIR (Optimale Productie door Intelligente Regeling). This system logs the water use and predicts the water demand to optimize the use of distribution facilities.

In most companies the information system evolves into different segments; each department has its own information system. This decentralization disturbs the optimal use of the company’s information.  Selecting and combining or connecting information sources according to the business processes (after optimizing/adjusting the processes to the business intelligence strategy) creates an environment where processes are optimized for the maximum use of the company generated information. For example: the water company`s logging system is connected to an digital map of Groningen which shows all points of interests (the locations of logging systems, costumers, production pumps, distribution pumps, calamity systems, activities). This makes it possible to run simulation to optimize the calamity processes. The implementation of a photo-based ‘location definer’ (see photo) makes it possible to recognize the points of interests better and hereby optimize the reparation time.

http://www.computable.nl/artikel/ict_topics/business_intelligence/3614462/1277145/waterbedrijf-groningen-creert-informatie-van-betekenis.html

The Tilburg case

Just like the water company case Tilburg had a decentralized information system which made it impossible to operate as intelligent as they do now. This new system made it possible to combine information systems so that fraud is made visible. For example, whole families were getting welfare, in most cases for generation long, due to the incomplete information this fraud could never had been detected. An employee said that the business processes became very transparent. Due to this it is easier to maintain the efficiency, because of the ease to spot bottlenecks in the processes. 
Besides the information system the workflow is also improved. For example, the number of applications put through, number of successful applications, reaction- and transit time are monitored for improvement. When employees fail to achieve certain targets, the management can ask the employee for explanation. http://www.informationbuilders.nl/applications/pdf/Gemeente_Tilburg.pdf

The hospital case

Thanks to BI the complex processes and expensive resources are continue monitored. Because of this, the hospital can get the maximum use out of rooms, employees and recourses. http://www.informationbuilders.nl/new/2009/business-intelligence-award.html

The police case

BI made it possible to combine different information systems, which resulted in putting policemen in the right place at the right time to increase the effectiveness of the police force. This can only be achieved when information about policemen availability, status of known criminals, committed crimes per location, time of committed crimes, etc. are combined into one leading system. http://www.computable.nl/artikel/ict_topics/business_intelligence/3085127/1277145/prijs-voor-bi-bij-politie-amsterdam.html

From Twitter to Business intelligence

After the past blog, which was about using the Twitter tool the right way, I decided to pay a little attention to the subject that really interests me: Business Intelligence (BI). How can Twitter be related to BI? Well, it’s all about concentrating information, like concentrating light with a magnifying glass, to form an interesting source of power. Most think that BI is a (software)tool that can be used to get the maximum effectiveness out of company generated information. For some companies BI is just that, due to the limitations it has to really implement BI. However, more and more companies implement the BI ideology whereby the way of steering the organization changes, like changing a boat for a car.

What is BI concretely ? Every organization has information and generates information about sales, costumers, products, etc. BI is the ‘dashboard’ of the organization which presents the current status. It is comparable with the dashboard of a car; its shows current speed, engine temperature,  oil level, fuel level, etc.

Imagine a car without a dashboard or with a dashboard which only show the fuel level of last week…As illogic as it sounds that is the way many companies operate, they have to wait for reports which are outdate as soon as they leave the printer. The somewhat smarter managers extract information from databases which are presented in excel sheets and base their decisions on ad-hoc information that isn`t thought-trough properly. This could easily lead to wrong decisions, due to the complexity of most situations.  The answer is a BI information system combined with the BI way of steering the organization.

The gasoline of the company is its information system whereby people act as the engine. Still many companies concentrate on improving the engine, while the quality of the gasoline could make a difference between optimal performances and jamming the engine.

In the next blog I will try to give some examples of companies that have implemented BI..