“In some cases, “data intermediaries” will emerge that are abe to collect data from multiple sources, aggregate it, and do innovative things with it. The data holders will let these intermediaries perform this role because some of the data’s value can only be reaped through them” (Mayer-Schonberger and Cukier, 2013, from “Big Data”)
on the observability of a complex system
“The developed approach can also identify the optimal sensors for target or partial observability, helping us reconstruct selected state variables from appropriately chosen outputs, a prerequisite for optimal biomarker design. Given the fundamental role observability plays in complex systems, these results offer avenues to systematically explore the dynamics of a wide range of natural, technological and socioeconomic systems (from the Abstract, “Observability of a complex systems”, 2013, PNAS Early Edition by Yang-Yu Liu, Jean-Jacques Slotine, Albert-László Barabási)
Raw Data is (always) an Oxymoron
“We live in the era of Big Data, with storage and transmission capacity measured not just in terabytes but in petabytes (where peta– denotes a quadrillion, or a thousand trillion). Data collection is constant and even insidious, with every click and every “like” stored somewhere for something. This book reminds us that data is anything but “raw,” that we shouldn’t think of data as a natural resource but as a cultural one that needs to be generated, protected, and interpreted. The book’s essays describe eight episodes in the history of data from the predigital to the digital” (“Raw Data is an Oxymoron”, edited by Gitelman, from the abstract on Amazon, 2013).
http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Data-Is-Oxymoron-Infrastructures/dp/0262518287#reader_0262518287
TOWARD THE ROLE OF INTERACTION IN VISUAL ANALYTICS
“This paper firstly provides a general introduction in the most important aspects and ideas of Visual
Analytics. This multidisciplinary field focuses on the analytical reasoning of typically large and complex
(often heterogeneous) data sets and combines techniques from interactive visualizations with computational
analysis methods. Hereby, intuitive and efficient user interactions are a fundamental component which has
to be efficiently supported by any Visual Analytics system” (from the abstract, Kerren and Schreiberm 2012)
Major Trends in Information and Communication Technologies
“Networked computers are ubiquitous. They come in different shapes and forms (desktop, laptop, mobile phones, tablets, ebook readers, etc.) or are embedded in devices, objects, and systems such as, for example, cameras, washing machines, televisions, cars, heating systems, robots, traffic control systems. Software is usually available in multiple human languages” (Rehm and Uszkoreit, 2013, from the abstract).
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-36349-8_3
Social business goals and metrics (Altimeter Group, 2013)
The evolution of social business [a new report by Altimeter Group]
http://www.altimetergroup.com/research/reports/evolution-social-business
[Altimeter Group, image and abstract] “Companies are not created equal. Altimeter Group found that companies go through six distinct stages of social business maturity, each with unique risks and opportunities.Based on a series of interviews with organizations that are investing in social media strategies at varying levels, we learned that notable differences exist between companies implementing a social media strategy and those that are building a social business. A social media strategy lays out the channels, platforms, and tactics to support publishing, listening, and engagement. A social business strategy is the integration of social technologies and processes into business values, processes, and practices to build relationships and spark conversations inside and outside the organization, creating value and optimizing impact for customers and the business alike” (from the executive summary, Altimeter Group, 2013)
[forthcoming] social machines: how to develop connected products
[From the abstract] Your machines know things about you, and they have some things to say.
Our online interactions have formed the backbone of companies like Facebook and Twitter and have redefined social interaction. But what if machines like cars, bikes, health monitors, appliances, ATMs, and kiosks could all become members of your social network, and give you important information about what’s happening in your car, your home, and your body? Businesses like Ford, Proctor and Gamble, and dozens of startups are now using social machines to reach new markets, improve brand and market awareness, and increase revenues. Social Machines teaches the benefits and the process of connecting machines to a social network.
* Articulates how “social” is a compelling new business model for the Internet of Things
* Discusses current technologies, such as smart phones and tablets, and how they can/will enable Social Machines
* Teaches how to learn from existing implementations and customize them for their own use
Who says only humans can be social? The next stage of interaction between people and their environment is upon us.
Relationship investment: buyer and seller
Image from Egan, “Relationship Marketing” (p.53, source: adapted from Dwyer et al., 1987, p. 14)
Dwyer et al. (1987, p. 14) suggest that the type of relationship that develops between a supplier and a customer is determined by the different amounts of motivational investment that buyers and sellers are prepared to commit to the relationship. They hypothesise that there are four types of active relationships in addition to ‘no exchange’ (Egan, p. 53)







