tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56702404111644335422024-03-08T08:01:12.438-08:00Steve Knode's blogSteve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-14945360357508760622012-09-11T04:02:00.000-07:002012-09-11T04:17:07.830-07:00<html>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial,sans-serif">
What in the World……</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial,sans-serif">
<span style="color: #C00000">Is happening with <i><u>Information
search and acquisition</u></i>?</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
(<b>NOTE:</b> I am starting a series of blog posts dealing with interesting
developments in the world of information technologies. Entitled “What in the
World...” [<b>WitWo</b>], this series will present my views of important trends
and changes affecting all of us. While I don’t claim any profound ability to
provide insights, I do research and digest many related materials in my quest to
understand and accommodate the exponential developments in Information
Technology. Hopefully, I can provide both the <b>‘what’</b> and some of the <b>
‘so what’</b> aspects in this series.)<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">About two years ago I (along with my son) wrote a chapter
in a book (<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.amazon.com/Knowledge-Management-E-Learning-Jay-Liebowitz/dp/1439837252/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347289161&sr=1-1&keywords=Knowledge+Management+and+E-Learning">Knowledge
Management and E-Learning</a>), entitled <b>“From Self-Service to Room Service:
Changing the Way We Search, Sift, and Synthesize Information”</b>. In this
chapter, I outlined, with some early examples, how the way in which we deal with
information is changing. Although not claiming to be prescient, I think many of
the trends we outlined in that chapter are now starting to take hold.<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Background:</u></b> Up until now, obtaining,
organizing and incorporating the necessary information for actions or
decision-making has been solely left to the individual efforts of the user. The
user searched a finite information source (a library or database), found and
extracted the needed information, and then synthesized it into the proper format
(e.g., white paper, term paper, report, action paper, etc.). Within this
<font color="#800000"><b>“self-service”</b></font> model, the user has the
burden of finding the proper information, filtering it into the proper format,
fusing it into a credible document relevant to the need, and distributing that
document to the appropriate parties. In an era where information was
relatively limited and access to that information mainly local (e.g., the local
library or a database within the organization), this model worked well for
many. The user simply found whatever information he or she required and
synthesized it into the necessary form. Certainly, modern search engines (e.g.,
Google, Bing) have made the physical effort needed less (i.e., no longer have to
visit a brick-and-motar library) and the information resources easier to access,
but the task has basically remained the same----find the exact information
desired, put it into the proper context, and incorporate it where needed (i.e.,
<font color="#800000"><b>“self-service”</b></font>).<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, with an information hyperabundance, the tasks of
searching, sifting, and synthesizing information may no longer be manageable by
human effort alone. Indeed, the <font color="#800000"><b>“self-service”</b></font>
model of information retrieval and digestion might necessarily have to change to
a more of a <font color="#800000"><b>“room service"</b></font> model, wherein
alternate approaches to dealing with information have to be explored and, where
useful, adopted.<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the <b><font color="#800000">“room service”</font></b>
model, the user requests what information (contextually based) he or she needs,
in what format the information is desired, when the information is needed and
the way in which the information should be delivered. Then, in an effective
“room service” approach, the information arrives at the proper time, in just the
right amount, in the proper format, and contextually relevant to the problem or
request at hand. In essence, the user is ordering information to be prepared in
advance, not unlike <font color="#800000"><b>“room service”</b></font> in a
hotel. If the <font color="#800000"><b>“room service”</b></font> is successful,
the user will be provided with the right goods, in the right format, at the
proper time. <font color="#800000"><b>“Room service”</b></font>, properly
implemented, relieves the user of some of the burden of searching, sifting, and
synthesizing the information.<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Two years ago many of the examples I provided in the book
chapter were early, cursory efforts, including applications such as
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://hakia.com/">
Hakia</a>,
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.chacha.com/">
Cha-Cha</a>, and
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://collecta.com/">
Collecta</a>. These early efforts attempted to provide some of the aspects of
the <font color="#800000"><b>“room service”</b></font> model outlined. Although
they are admirable efforts, they are not close to approaching a complete
solution. Now it appears that we are much closer to a full implementation of
the <font color="#800000"><b>“room service”</b></font> approach.<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Current Developments: </u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Several key developments in the last year provide evidence
that the <font color="#800000"><b>“room service”</b></font> approach to
acquiring and incorporating information is rapidly emerging. Advances
illustrating the tremendous progress include:</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: 42.0pt">
<span style="font-family: Symbol">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">
</span></span><b>Watson:</b> Likely the most impressive emergent approach to
acquiring and synthesizing information automatically is
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www-03.ibm.com/innovation/us/watson/?csr=agus_watsonopad-20120718&cm=k&cr=google&ct=USBRB301&S_TACT=USBRB301&ck=ibm_watson&cmp=USBRB&mkwid=sdflHs6Qp_27280028857_432oop16376">
Watson</a>. If you have not viewed the performance of
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Watson+on+the+Jeopardy+show+in+February+2011&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS437US437&sugexp=chrome,mod=19&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=Watson+on+the+Jeopardy+show+in+February+2011&hl=en&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS437US437&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=vid&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=2wVOUPnVH5Oe8gSP9YGgCA&ved=0CEAQqwQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=69afe23f65e1dd05&biw=1333&bih=645">
Watson on the Jeopardy show in February 2011</a>, you should view it to get a
feel for just how impressive this breakthrough is. Watson is able to rapidly
search extremely large volumes of information, find the requested item, format
it into a natural language answer and deliver that information. Further, Watson
is able to deal with nuances and subtleties better than any previous computer
program developed. Clearly, the many uses planned and being implemented for
Watson (e.g., finance, medical) evidence the value of this approach. The next
step will be a Watson-like interface for the average consumer via tablet or
smart cellphone.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: 42.0pt">
<span style="font-family: Symbol">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">
</span></span><b>Siri:</b> First demonstrated as a
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://semanticweb.com/keynote-the-game-changer-siri-a-virtual-personal-assistant_b13572?red=su">
standalone project</a> in 2009 and now part of the Apple family, Siri has a
unique ability to process requests and deliver natural language complete answers
to many different types of queries. Siri is now incorporated into the Apple
iPhone 4GS and constantly improving. For many, this development represents the
initial foray into having an ‘intelligent assistant’ ready to provide instant
information. As with Watson, Siri is likely to improve rapidly (e.g., adding
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/with-siri-and-new-alliances-apple-takes-on-google-search/267131-11.html">
Yelp</a> and Wolfram Alpha to its personal assistant data repositories) and also
be embedded in many more areas (e.g., iPad).<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: 42.0pt">
<span style="font-family: Symbol">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">
</span></span><b>Wolfram Alpha:</b>
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/">
Wolfram alpha</a>, the amazing work of Stephen Wolfram, is another product which
is altering how we obtain and incorporate information. Unique in many ways,
Wolfram Alpha also provides answers to queries in a more complete manner vice
just providing links to pages which might contain the needed answer. Check out
the
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/examples/">
examples of Wolfram Alpha</a> in action to see just how varied and complex
queries can be and still be addressed by the software. Although primarily
focused on quantitative areas, Wolfram Alpha is spreading into many other
arenas. (NOTE: Wolfram Alpha is linked to and integrated into Siri, adding the
abilities of the Wolfram Alpha engine to the Siri intelligent interface, thus
boosting the capabilities of both.)<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: 42.0pt">
<span style="font-family: Symbol">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">
</span></span><b>Google “Knowledge Graph”: </b>Not to be left out of the
evolving way in which we search, sift and synthesize information is Google. The
search giant is also well into developing a
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304459804577281842851136290.html">
more robust way of providing information</a>. Within the past few months,
Google has introduced its
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/search/knowledge.html">
“knowledge graph”</a> concept for representing information and information
linkages. This knowledge graph contains 500 million entities liked by tens of
thousands of different types of relationships (including relationships between
people and places, things, etc). With the knowledge graph, Google can now
provide more complete answers to queries, including more focused context. By
using the knowledge graph relationships, the Google search engine can
automatically make connections of value, based on inter-relationships. Similar
to how Siri is used, the new Google approach is now
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/voicesearch/index-chrome.html">
embedded in Android smartphones</a>.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: 42.0pt">
<span style="font-family: Symbol">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">
</span></span><b>Microsoft Satori: </b>Perhaps the least known development in
making the web better understood (so as to provide more complete answers) is the
Microsoft effort,
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/trinity/query.aspx">
Satori</a>. Like Google, Microsoft has compiled its
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/06/inside-the-architecture-of-googles-knowledge-graph-and-microsofts-satori/">
own knowledge graph containing 350 million entities</a>. Incorporating Satori
into the Bing search engine will provide users with much more context relevant
search results. Also, like Google and Apple, the improved search engine
approach will be a prominent feature on mobile devices.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: 42.0pt">
<span style="font-family: Symbol">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">
</span></span><b>Others:</b> There are other efforts also on the horizon or
already underway. One of the earliest reasonably successful efforts is
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.kurzweilai.net/ramona4/ramona.html">
Ramona</a> from the futurist Ray Kurzweil. Chatbots, like Ramona, add the
dimensionality of a persona to the interface. By providing a knowledge
navigator interface (see the original “<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGYFEI6uLy0">Knowledge
Navigator</a>” vignette from 1987), chatbots are also another way in which
information is being provided in a more natural manner. Likely, clever and
realistic human interfaces will be linked with the knowledge repositories
mentioned in some instances.<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
<b><u>Obstacles and Caveats:</u></b> As with any technological development,
there remain some problems to be confronted. To me, the key obstacles are not
the technology itself but instead two other related ones, namely:<br>
</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -.25in">
<span style="font-family: Symbol">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">
</span></span><b>Expectations: </b>My experience with many information
technology developments is that the expectations of the user always outstrip
the ability of the technology. We expect solutions that are ‘absolute’
rather than ‘relative’. Absolute solutions are free, complete, exactly
right at all times, etc. Instead, we see solutions (many from the field of
Artificial Intelligence) that are ‘relatively’ better than what we have, but
not ‘absolute’ solutions. For some, this delays and negates their use of
the technology (laggards or late majority adopters according to the
“crossing the chasm” model). For these people, the solutions will likely
never be acceptable.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -.25in">
<span style="font-family: Symbol">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">
</span></span><b>Privacy and Security concerns:</b> For an intelligent agent
to be able to provide answers and assistance “just right” for you means they
must have an excellent grasp of who you are, what you like, what your
interests are, etc. Thus, the agent will have an extremely intimate
knowledge of you as a person in order to be effective. Want an agent that
intelligently and automatically pays your bills? The agent needs to know
your bank account numbers and passwords. Would you like your agent to
automatically shop for and purchase birthday and anniversary gifts for loved
ones? Then, the agent needs access to your credit cards. If that agent is
compromised in some way (perhaps identity theft in the future will include
the theft of your personal agent!), then likely some (much?) of your
personal information will also be compromised. For an example of just how
much information will likely be known about you, view this short vignette on
ordering a pizza in the future,
<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNJl9EEcsoE">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNJl9EEcsoE</a>. <br>
<br>
</p>
</blockquote>
<b><u>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif">
Conclusion</span></u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif">:
</span></b>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif">
So, this leaves us on the cusp of having an “intelligent assistant” at our
beckoning, available 24/7, contextually aware, and able to provide us complete
information on almost any query. As this new approach continues to evolve, we
will soon approach the metaphor contained in the landmark article I have long
used as an example, “<a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.cs.umd.edu/~golbeck/LBSC690/SemanticWeb.html">The
Semantic Web</a>”. Some will argue that we are still not close to having a
complete intelligent assistant. While that may be true, the exponential
progress evident in the last few years leads me to conclude that within the next
few years, we will certainly arrive at a point where an “intelligent assistant”
is available and essential for all of us.</span></body></html>Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-28060070831191288472011-11-09T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-09T09:00:59.432-08:00<p><font face="Arial">Several recent articles have postulated <u><i><b>dramatic
changes for the 'future of work'</b></i></u>. These trends are not new,
but the pace has definitely quickened. I would encourage all to read the
following:</font></p>
<ul>
<li>
<h3 class="ec-blog-headline" style="vertical-align: baseline; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 27px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px initial initial; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) url('http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/11/initial') initial initial initial initial">
<span style="font-weight: 400"><font size="3">
<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/10/why-workers-are-losing-the-war-against-machines/247278/">
Why Workers Are Losing the War Against Machines</a></font></span></h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3 class="ec-blog-headline" style="vertical-align: baseline; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 27px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px initial initial; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) url('http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/11/initial') initial initial initial initial">
<span style="font-weight: 400"><font size="3">
<a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/11/artificial-intelligence">
Difference Engine: Luddite legacy</a></font></span></h3>
</li>
<li>
<p class="ec-blog-headline" style="vertical-align: baseline; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 27px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px initial initial; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) url('http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/11/initial') initial initial initial initial">
<a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d5e861c4-0150-11e1-b177-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1dE6dNesa">
Race Against the Machine</a></li>
<li>
<p class="ec-blog-headline" style="vertical-align: baseline; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 27px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px initial initial; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) url('http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/11/initial') initial initial initial initial">
<a href="https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Strategy/Growth/The_second_economy_2853">
The Second Economy</a></li>
<li>
<h1 style="list-style-type: none; font-weight: normal; line-height: 42px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px">
<font size="3">
<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/242885/robots_are_taking_midlevel_jobs_changing_the_economy.html">
Robots Are Taking Mid-Level Jobs, Changing the Economy</a></font></h1>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="list-style-type: none; font-weight: normal; line-height: 42px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px">
One <u><b>key finding:</b></u></p>
<p style="list-style-type: none; font-weight: normal; line-height: 42px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px">
<b>"</b>Technologies like robotics, numerically controlled machines,
computerized inventory control, and automatic transcription have been
substituting for routine tasks, <b>displacing those workers.</b> Meanwhile other
technologies like <b>data visualization, analytics, high-speed communications,
and rapid prototyping have augmented the contributions of more <i>abstract and
data-driven reasoning, increasing the value of those jobs."</i></b></p>
<p style="list-style-type: none; font-weight: normal; line-height: 42px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px">
These articles, which include <b>many insightful facts and charts</b>, make the
case quite strongly that, due to technological advancements, we are automating
jobs much faster than we are creating them. Many jobs which are currently
done by humans will soon be done by automated robots or other automated means.
Further, for the first time, we are not creating enough new jobs to provide
options for those displaced.</p>
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<p> </p>Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-42734824150832323022011-10-29T03:37:00.001-07:002011-10-29T03:41:09.457-07:00How IT Costs More Jobs than It CreatesInteresting article about the <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/38971/?">effects of Information Technology on jobs</a>. <strong>For the first time, this decade has seen the economy and productivity grow while jobs shrink.</strong> Although this has not happened before, it will likely be a continuing trend. IT allows companies to continue to expand profits and growth, while simultaneously reducing jobs. According to this article, the main solution has to be <strong>continuing education</strong> so that workers are being retrained for the new jobs and opportunities arising.<br />
<br />
Further cementing the concept about disappearing jobs is the recent excellent article from the McKinsey Quarterly,<a href="https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Strategy/Growth/The_second_economy_2853" target="_blank">"The Second Economy"</a>. In this enlightening article, the author lays out a very clear scenario in which information technology advances result in the tremendous reduction of necessary workers. Very interesting and well supported developments have resulted in fewer workers being needed---and a mismatch of skills with the jobs remaining.<br />
<br />
Well worth reading both----harbingers of the uncertain future we face.Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-75333453381844826692011-10-13T06:08:00.000-07:002011-10-13T06:09:47.358-07:00State of the CIO circa 2011<p>An excellent report, <a href="http://www.cio.com/documents/pdfs/2011stateofthecio.pdf" target="_blank">State of the CIO 2010</a>, should be must reading for all those involved in IT or who wish to become CIO's. The report outlines the dramatic changes in process relating to the roles and duties of the CIO.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here is one chart showing some of the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>key findings</strong></em></span> of the survey:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/JYLIVe286wDRsWcTlR5wZjmGFsKrhcacA8Wt0wbfdoUmghgzlHU1ChGqSR1AVSGtfbifDNBA4NvzvRldiSI3Vshc4Y3v1ISa/ActivitiesconsumingCIOtime.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/JYLIVe286wDRsWcTlR5wZjmGFsKrhcacA8Wt0wbfdoUmghgzlHU1ChGqSR1AVSGtfbifDNBA4NvzvRldiSI3Vshc4Y3v1ISa/ActivitiesconsumingCIOtime.jpg" width="676" class="align-full" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Note the changing priorities and use of time for CIO's. Several areas are increasing in importance and some are decreasing. Clearly, the CIO is becoming much more of a business partner for the organization. There are several other equally insightful charts and results from this survey---well worth spending some time.</p>Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-87261002751861990862011-10-02T13:39:00.001-07:002011-10-02T13:40:06.722-07:00The Case for Citizen Centric Mobile Gov<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fbfeff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.4em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Very interesting article about <a href="http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/288913" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">government developed 'apps'</a>. The government is actually very active in developing applications for smart phones and needs to educate the users on how productive these apps can be by:</div>
<ul style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">educating federal department and agency leadership, program staff, and IT staff on the benefits of mobile use;</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">developing criteria to identify better projects and better ways to implement them;</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">encouraging mobile strategy and technology investment decisions to meet agency mission goals; and</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">spurring and modeling interagency collaboration to accelerate Mobile Gov.</li>
</ul>
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The use of apps also has grown impressively over the last year as illustrated by this chart:</div>
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<img alt="Chart from Pew Internet showing the change in use of non-voice data applications on cell phones from April 2009 to May 2010 based on a survey. 66 percent used their cell phone to take a picture in April 2009; 76 percent in May 2010. 65 percent used their cell phone to send or receive text messages in April 2009; 72 percent in May 2010. 27 percent used their cell phone to play a game in April 2009; 34 percent in May 2010. 25 percent used their cell phone to send or receive email in April 2009; 34 percent in May 2010. 25 percent used their cell phone to access the internet in April 2009; 38 percent in May 2010. 21 percent used their cell phone to play music in April 2009; 33 percent in May 2010. 20 percent used their cell phone to send or receive instant messages in April 2009; 30 percent in May 2010. 19 percent used their cell phone to record a video in April 2009; 34 percent in May 2010." src="http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/admin/PewInternet_UseofNonVoiceDataApplicationsChart.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 4px; max-width: 721px;" /></div>
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According to the article, "Agencies are starting by taking existing information or services and repackaging them for new devices. In mobile form, these services can provide immediate alerts, save call center costs, and make the most of existing government data stores.</div>
<ul style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Citizens can have health information sent directly to their phones by <a class="links_underline" href="http://www.cdc.gov/Mobile/#Mobile" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">signing up for a daily text message</a> (SMS) health tip from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Taxpayers can check their refund status on the go with the Internal Revenue Service’s app, <a class="links_underline" href="http://apps.usa.gov/irs2go/" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">IRS2go</a>—saving the IRS expensive, call-center interactions.</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Travelers can learn about airport delays and what they can carry on a flight from the Transportation Security Administration’s <a class="links_underline" href="http://apps.usa.gov/tsa-app/" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">My TSA</a> app for smartphone and mobile Web. While there are contact center savings here, too, TSA also updates answers for all information channels--website and call center-- based on feedback that users share via the mobile app.</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">People with concerns about food safety and handling can access food-safety information anytime, anywhere with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s <a class="links_underline" href="http://apps.usa.gov/ask-karen/" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Ask Karen</a>. Users with iPhones and Androids can also get questions answered by live chat."</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.4em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Further, mobile websites provide pertinent information on top government tasks, saving mobile users time and headaches. Some agencies are creating mobile websites for specific audiences and tasks.</div>
<ul style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Disaster survivors can use their mobile devices to access <a class="links_underline" href="http://m.fema.gov/" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">m.fema.gov</a> to find disaster recovery centers and find out how to let their families know they are safe. The Federal Emergency Management Agency designed it to meet the needs of people who don’t have electricity but who have a charge left in their cell phones.</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Spanish speakers can use <a class="links_underline" href="http://apps.usa.gov/gobiernousa-gov/" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">GobiernoUSA.gov</a> mobile to find government information in Spanish.</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Prospective employees can look for jobs and internships using <a class="links_underline" href="http://apps.usa.gov/usajobs/" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">USAJobs</a>,<a class="links_underline" href="http://apps.usa.gov/nsa-career-links/" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"> NSA Career Links</a>, and <a class="links_underline" href="http://apps.usa.gov/nci-nih-summer-internship-program/" style="color: #242d3d; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">NCI @ NIH Summer Internship Program</a>.</li>
</ul>
Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-18579659235427472282011-09-21T11:20:00.001-07:002011-09-21T11:20:20.443-07:00First Management 2.0 Challenge Winners<html>
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<p><font face="Arial">I am a big fan of <a href="http://www.garyhamel.com/">
Gary Hamel</a> (one of the 'big thinkers' I track). His book of a few years
ago, "The Future of Management" left quite an impression on me. Excerpts can
be found, starting with part 1, at:
<a href="http://shoptalkmarketing.blogspot.com/2007/10/on-gary-hamels-future-of-management.html">
http://shoptalkmarketing.blogspot.com/2007/10/on-gary-hamels-future-of-management.html</a>.
He also has excellent views on innovation, again excerpts at
<a href="https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Innovative_management_A_conversation_between_Gary_Hamel_and_Lowell_Bryan_2065">
https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Innovative_management_A_conversation_between_Gary_Hamel_and_Lowell_Bryan_2065</a>.
Note that </font>
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<span style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; LINE-HEIGHT: 21px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" class="Apple-style-span">
the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Wall Street Journal</em><span class="Apple-converted-space">
</span>recently ranked Gary Hamel as the world's most influential business
thinker, and Fortune magazine has called him "the world's leading expert on
business strategy." For the last three years, Hamel has also topped<span class="Apple-converted-space">
</span><em>Executive Excellence </em>magazine's annual ranking of the most
sought after management speakers.</span></span><font face="Arial"> I think he has an excellent perspective on how
management will likely have to change for the future. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Hamel is one of
the key forces behind the
<a href="http://www.managementexchange.com/blog/m-prize/management-20-challenge">
Management 2.0 Challenge</a> (co-sponsorted by </font>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">
Harvard Business Review and McKinsey & Company</span><font face="Arial">),
which started in May 2011. </font>
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The HBR/McKinsey M-Prize will unfold over the course of a year and include
three separate phases designed to surface the best practices and thinking
around leveraging technology, reinventing strategy, and rethinking
organizations.</span><font face="Arial"> As Hamel states, <i><b>
<font color="#800000">"...</font></b></i></font><font color="#800000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">over
the next few years the emerging “social technologies” of Web 2.0 are likely
to transform the work of management root and branch." </span></font>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(66, 68, 66); font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> </span><font face="Arial">The
first winners have been chosen and you can
<a href="http://www.managementexchange.com/m-prize?ref=mck-email-m2winners">
read their ideas and winning entries</a>. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The next part of the challenge will be announced soon.</font></p>
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Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-32398333679619326712011-09-20T12:38:00.001-07:002011-09-20T12:38:00.875-07:00Future Work Skills 2020<p> Interesting report from the Institute for the Future (and the
University of Phoenix Research Institute),
<a href="http://cdn-static.phoenix.edu/content/dam/altcloud/doc/research-institute/future-skills-2020-research-report.pdf">
"Future Work Skills 2020"</a>. Highlights from the report include:</p>
<ul>
<li><font color="#800000"><b><i>Six drivers of change:</i></b></font><ol>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Extreme Longevity</b></u></font> -
Increasing global lifespans change the nature of careers and learning</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Rise of Smart Machines and Systems</b></u></font>
- Workforce automation nudges human workers out of rote, repetitive
tasks</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Computational World</b></u></font> -
Massive increases in sensors and processing power make the world a
programmable system</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>New Media Ecology</b></u></font> - New
communication tools require new media literacies beyond text</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Superstructed Organizations</b></u></font>
- Social technologies drive new forms of production and value creation</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Globally Connected World</b></u></font>
- Increased global interconnectivity puts diversity and adaptability at
the center of organizational operations<br>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li><font color="#800000"><b><i>Ten future work skills:</i></b></font><ol>
<li><u><font color="#000080"><b>Sense-Making</b></font></u> - ability to
determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Social Intelligence</b></u></font> - :
ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and
stimulate reactions and desired interactions</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Novel and Adaptive Thinking</b></u></font>
- proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and
responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Cross-Cultural Competency</b></u></font>
- ability to operate in different cultural settings</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Computational Thinking </b></u></font>-
ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to
understand data-based reasoning</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>New Media Literacy</b></u></font> -
ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media
forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Transdisciplinarity</b></u></font> -
literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple
disciplines</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Design Mindset</b></u></font> - ability
to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Cognitive Load Management</b></u></font>
- ability to discriminate and filter information for importance,
and to understand how to maximize cognitive functioning using a variety
of tools and techniques</li>
<li><font color="#000080"><u><b>Virtual Collaboration</b></u></font> -
ability to work productively, drive engagement, and demonstrate presence
as a member of a virtual team.<br>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li><font color="#800000"><i><b>Implications for Education:</b></i></font><ul>
<li><font color="#000080"><b>Placing additional emphasis on developing
skills such as<u> critical thinking, insight, and analysis capabilities</u></b></font></li>
<li><font color="#000080"><b>Integrating <u>new-media literacy</u> into
education programs</b></font></li>
<li><font color="#000080"><b>Including <u>experiential learning</u> that
gives prominence to soft skills—such as the <u>ability to collaborate,
work in groups, read social cues, and respond adaptively</u></b></font></li>
<li><font color="#000080"><b><u>Broadening the learning constituency</u>
beyond teens and young adults through to adulthood</b></font></li>
<li><font color="#000080"><b>Integrating <u>interdisciplinary training</u>
that allows students to develop skills and knowledge in a range of
subjects</b></font></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The report does a very nice job of showing how the drivers combine with the
work skills needed for the future. I encourage all to read the report
(about 12 pages) and think how we are addressing these needs.</p>Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-24803641036360721432011-09-20T12:35:00.000-07:002011-09-20T12:35:14.777-07:00A Dozen Economic Facts about Innovation
<p><font face="Arial">Brookings has just published a very interesting report,
<a href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf">
"A Dozen Economic Facts about Innovation"</a>, which contains some surprising
findings. The report supports each finding with facts and very insightful
graphics, but here are the 12:</font></p>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">
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<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=5">
Innovation drives economic growth and raises wages.</a> </li>
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<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=6">
Innovation improves U.S. life expectancy.</a> </li>
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<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=7">
Innovation makes technology affordable.</a> </li>
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<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=9">
New organizational structures lead to rising standards of living.</a> </li>
<li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 26px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">
<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=10">
New household technologies allow for more time for family and leisure.</a> </li>
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<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=12">
The pace of American innovation has slowed during the past four decades.</a> </li>
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<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=13">
Innovation has failed to increase wages for a substantial number of
Americans.</a> </li>
<li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 26px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">
<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=14">
Significant barriers to innovation exist in the government and the
private sector.</a> </li>
<li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 26px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">
<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=15">
Federal support for research & development has declined in recent years.</a> </li>
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<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=16">
Relatively few U.S. college students study fields critical to
innovation.</a> </li>
<li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 26px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">
<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=18">
American women are less likely to continue in STEM fields than American
men.</a> </li>
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<a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 55, 105); text-decoration: underline; " href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0805_innovation_greenstone_looney/08_innovation_greenstone_looney.pdf#page=19">
U.S. policy makes it difficult for international students to stay and
work.</a> </li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
</span>
<p> </p>Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670240411164433542.post-20386473133840418402011-09-14T09:24:00.000-07:002011-09-14T09:57:58.264-07:00Data rEvolution report from the Leading Edge Forum<br />
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One of my favorite reports, published once each year, is the Leading Edge Forum in-depth report on a particular subject. Past reports have been <span _mce_style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>outstanding</strong></span> and very useful in understanding how Information Technology is changing the world.</div>
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This year's report, <a _mce_href="http://www.csc.com/lef/ds/22182-reports" href="http://www.csc.com/lef/ds/22182-reports" target="_blank">Data rEvolution</a>, has just been published and is available for download. This report contains many insights for how to manage, utilize, and leverage the "big data" that has arrived. This is <span _mce_style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>must reading</strong></span> for those who would be CIO's. </div>
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The change coming is dramatic, as illustrated by this chart:</div>
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<a _mce_href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/8MsXVG1rZh1VdeUmsZys5BZC9x*S5*Nj5nadUQ2tRcC7wOSyh1N4U9-fUTbeNZABEk3Hn8AdvqtItAV0B3Z7-9c8gZg4HJv3/datarevolution.jpg" href="http://api.ning.com/files/8MsXVG1rZh1VdeUmsZys5BZC9x*S5*Nj5nadUQ2tRcC7wOSyh1N4U9-fUTbeNZABEk3Hn8AdvqtItAV0B3Z7-9c8gZg4HJv3/datarevolution.jpg" target="_self"><img _mce_src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/8MsXVG1rZh1VdeUmsZys5BZC9x*S5*Nj5nadUQ2tRcC7wOSyh1N4U9-fUTbeNZABEk3Hn8AdvqtItAV0B3Z7-9c8gZg4HJv3/datarevolution.jpg" class="align-full" height="349" src="http://api.ning.com/files/8MsXVG1rZh1VdeUmsZys5BZC9x*S5*Nj5nadUQ2tRcC7wOSyh1N4U9-fUTbeNZABEk3Hn8AdvqtItAV0B3Z7-9c8gZg4HJv3/datarevolution.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both !important; display: block !important; margin-bottom: 10px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 5px !important;" width="512" /></a></div>
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The <strong>Data rEvolution</strong> explores in-depth, and gives insights in <strong><span _mce_style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;">several key areas</span></strong>:</div>
<ul>
<li><span _mce_style="text-decoration: underline; color: #ff0000;" style="color: red; text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Great Expectations: Do More with More (Data)</strong></em></span> – Howleading organizations living the Data rEvolution are settingnew expectations for getting results from data</li>
<li><span _mce_style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"><em><strong><span _mce_style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;">A Changing Foundation: New Methods to Manage Big Data</span></strong></em></span> – new ways to organize and manage massive,diverse data for complex processing using approacheslike MapReduce and Hadoop</li>
<li><span _mce_style="text-decoration: underline; color: #ff0000;" style="color: red; text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The New Alchemy: Connecting the Dots</strong></em></span> – new tools andmethods for establishing relationships and meaning, includingfolksonomies, semantics, link analysis, temporal analysis,location-based services and situational intelligence</li>
<li><span _mce_style="text-decoration: underline; color: #ff0000;" style="color: red; text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Enabling the Predictive Enterprise: Strategies toUnderstand, Anticipate and Plan</strong></em></span> – new ways to achieveinsights through better questions, social discovery, predictiveanalytics, advanced models and analytics for everyone</li>
<li><span _mce_style="text-decoration: underline; color: #ff0000;" style="color: red; text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Seeing Is Believing: Visualization and Visual Analytics</strong></em></span> –new methods of visualization and visual analytics toparse the data and literally see new relationships andinsights on the fly</li>
</ul>
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There are many mentions and examples of how the government participates in leveraging "big data", e.g., climate science and healthcare. Many business areas are also explored and illustrated. </div>
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Steve Knodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170461006085397156noreply@blogger.com0