Future Trends, Privacy

CHAPTER
and Managerial
8
Considerations in

Analytics

Learning Objectives for Chapter 8

 Explore some of the emerging technologies that may impact analytics, business
intelligence (BI), and decision support
 Describe the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon, potential
applications, and the IoT ecosystem
 Describe the current and future use of cloud computing in business analytics
 Describe how geospatial and location-based analytics are assisting organizations
 Describe the organizational impacts of analytics applications
 List and describe the major ethical and legal issues of analytics implementation
 Identify key characteristics of a successful data science professional

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

This chapter introduces several emerging technologies that are likely to have major
impacts on the development and use of business intelligence (BI) applications.
In a dynamic area such as analytics, the terms also evolve and overlap. As noted
earlier, we can refer to these technologies as BI, analytics, data science, machine
learning, artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive computing, Big Data, or by several other
labels. Our goal is not to focus on subtle differences among each, but to look at the
collection as one big constellation. We focus on some trends that have already been
realized and others that are about to impact analytics further. Using a crystal ball is
always a risky proposition, but this chapter provides an analysis of some growing areas.
We introduce and explain some emerging technologies and explore their current
applications. We then discuss the organizational, personal, legal, ethical, and societal
impacts of analytical support systems and issues that should be of importance to
managers and professionals in analytics. This chapter contains the following sections:

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CHAPTER OUTLINE

8.1 Opening Vignette: Analysis of Sensor Data Helps Siemens Avoid Train
Failures
8.2 Internet of Things
8.3 Cloud Computing and Business Analytics
8.4 Location-Based Analytics for Organizations
8.5 Issues of Legality, Privacy, and Ethics
8.6 Impacts of Analytics in Organizations: An Overview
8.7 Data Scientist as a Profession

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ANSWERS TO END OF SECTION REVIEW QUESTIONS      
Section 8.1 Review Questions

1. In industrial equipment such as trains, what parameters might one measure on a

regular basis to estimate the equipment’s current performance and future repair
needs?

There are many parameters that could be evaluated to help estimate current
performance and repair needs. Some of these parameters could include time in
use, weather, adverse impacts, and so on.

2. How would weather data be useful in analyzing a train’s equipment status?

Weather data could indicate if the components have been exposed to water, or if
the components have been exposed to excesses and heat or cold.

3. Estimate how much data you might collect in one month using, say, 1,000 sensors
on a train. Each sensor might yield 1 KB data per second.

1,000 sensors at 1KB of data per second (43,200 K/month) is a total of 43.2 GB
across all sensors.

4. How would you propose to store such data sets?

This volume of data would need to be stored in a robust database system that
would be able to analyze all of the individual readings.

Section 8.2 Review Questions

1. What are the major uses of IoT?

There are a wide variety of uses for the Internet of Things (IoT). Examples can
include monitoring the status of different devices, as well as communicating that
status and other environmental information to other devices or to central systems.

2. What are the technology building blocks of IoT?

These major building blocks include hardware, connectivity, the software

backend, and applications.

3. What is RFID?

RFID is a generic technology that refers to the use of radio-frequency waves to

identify objects. Fundamentally, RFID is one example of a family of automatic

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 identification technologies, which also includes the ubiquitous barcodes and
magnetic strips.

4. Search online for applications of RFID in healthcare, entertainment, and sports.

Student searches will vary.

5. Identify some key players in the IoT ecosystem. Explore their offerings.

Major players in the Internet of things can be classified into building block
suppliers, platforms and enablement, and applications across multiple verticals. A
discussion of any of these areas will be highly variable based on the player and
sub area selected and when the research is conducted.

6. What are some of the major issues managers have to keep in mind in exploring
IoT?

When managers consider the IoT there are several important concepts to take into
account. The first is organizational alignment; how does this technology fit in
with the company’s current goals and resources? Second are interoperability
challenges; will the company be able to use this advancement within their current
infrastructure? The final issue is security; will information be able to be controlled
in a manner that is required and consistent with company policy and existing law?

Section 8.3 Review Questions

1. Define cloud computing. How does it relate to PaaS, SaaS, and IaaS?

Cloud computing offers the possibility of using software, hardware, platform, and
infrastructure, all on a service-subscription basis. Cloud computing enables a more
scalable investment on the part of a user. Like PaaS, etc., cloud computing offers
organizations the latest technologies without significant upfront investment.

In some ways, cloud computing is a new name for many previous related trends:
utility computing, application service provider grid computing, on-demand
computing, software as a service (SaaS), and even older centralized computing with dumb
terminals. But the term cloud computing originates from a reference to the Internet as a
“cloud” and represents an evolution of all previous shared/centralized computing
trends.

2. Give examples of companies offering cloud services.

Companies offering such services include 1010data, LogiXML, and Lucid Era. These
companies offer feature extract, transform, and load capabilities as well as advanced
data analysis tools. Other companies, such as Elastra and Rightscale, offer dashboard
and data management tools that follow the SaaS and DaaS models.

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3. How does cloud computing affect BI?

Cloud-computing-based BI services offer organizations the latest technologies

without significant upfront investment.

4. How does DaaS change the way data is handled?

In the DaaS model, the actual platform on which the data resides doesn’t matter. Data
can reside in a local computer or in a server at a server farm inside a cloud-computing
environment. With DaaS, any business process can access data wherever it resides.
Customers can move quickly thanks to the simplicity of the data access and the fact
that they don’t need extensive knowledge of the underlying data.

5. What are the different types of cloud platforms?

Differing types include IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a

Service), and Saas (Software as a Service).

6. Why is AaaS cost effective?

AaaS in the cloud has economies of scale and scope by providing many virtual
analytical applications with better scalability and higher cost savings. The capabilities
that a service orientation (along with cloud computing, pooled resources, and parallel
processing) brings to the analytic world enable cost-effective data/text mining, large-
scale optimization, highly-complex multi-criteria decision problems, and distributed
simulation models.

7. Name at least three major cloud service providers.

Student selections will vary from those discussed on pages 429 – 440.

8. Give at least three examples of analytics-as-a-service providers.

Student examples will vary from those discussed on pages 429 – 440.

Section 8.4 Review Questions

1. How does traditional analytics make use of location-based data?

Traditional analytics produce visual maps that are geographically mapped and based
on the traditional location data, usually grouped by the postal codes. The use of postal
codes to represent the data is a somewhat static approach for achieving a higher level
view of things.

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2. How can geocoded locations assist in better decision making?

They help the user in understanding “true location-based” impacts, and allow them to
view at higher granularities than that offered by the traditional postal code
aggregations. Addition of location components based on latitudinal and longitudinal
attributes to the traditional analytical techniques enables organizations to add a new
dimension of “where” to their traditional business analyses, which currently answer
questions of “who,” “what,” “when,” and “how much.” By integrating information
about the location with other critical business data, organizations are now creating
location intelligence (LI).

3. What is the value provided by geospatial analytics?

Geospatial analysis gives organizations a broader perspective and aids in decision

making. Location intelligence (LI) is enabling organizations to gain critical insights
and make better decisions by optimizing important processes and applications. By
incorporating demographic details into locations, retailers can determine how sales
vary by population level and proximity to other competitors; they can assess the
demand and efficiency of supply chain operations. Consumer product companies can
identify the specific needs of the customers and customer complaint locations, and
easily trace them back to the products. Sales reps can better target their prospects by
analyzing their geography.

4. Explore the use of geospatial analytics further by investigating its use across various
sectors like government census tracking, consumer marketing, and so forth.

Students’ answers will vary.

5. Search online for other applications of consumer-oriented analytical applications.

Students’ answers will vary.

6. How can location-based analytics help individual consumers?

Location-based behavioral targeting can help to narrow the characteristics of users

who are most likely to utilize a retailer’s services or products. This sort of analytics
would typically target the tech-savvy and busy consumers of the company in
question.

7. Explore more transportation applications that may employ location-based analytics.

Another app that is mentioned in the text is one deployed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
and developed in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University. This app, called
ParkPGH, includes predictive capabilities to estimate parking availability. It

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 calculates the number of spaces available in downtown Pittsburgh parking lots and
garages. (Student answers will vary.)

8. What other applications can you imagine if you were able to access cell phone
location data? Do a search on location-enabled services.

Students’ answers will vary.

Section 8.5 Review Questions

1. List some legal issues of analytics.

• What is the value of an expert opinion in court when the expertise is encoded in a
computer?
• Who is liable for wrong advice (or information) provided by an intelligent
application?
• What happens if a manager enters an incorrect judgment value into an analytic
application and the result is damage or a disaster?
• Who owns the knowledge in a knowledge base?
• Can management force experts to contribute their expertise?

2. Describe privacy concerns in analytics.

In general, privacy is the right to be left alone and the right to be free from
unreasonable personal intrusions. The Internet, in combination with large-scale
databases, has created an entirely new dimension of accessing and using data. The
inherent power in systems that can access vast amounts of data can be used for the
good of society. For example, by matching records with the aid of a computer, it is
possible to eliminate or reduce fraud, crime, government mismanagement, tax
evasion, welfare cheating, family-support filching, employment of illegal aliens, and
so on. The same is true on the corporate level. Private information about employees
may aid in better decision making, but the employees’ privacy may be affected.
Similar issues are related to information about customers.

3. In your view, who should own the data about your use of a car?

Student responses will vary.

4. List ethical issues in analytics.

Representative ethical issues that could be of interest in MSS implementations

include the following:

• Electronic surveillance
• Ethics in DSS design

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 • Software piracy
• Invasion of individuals’ privacy
• Use of proprietary databases
• Use of intellectual property such as knowledge and expertise
• Exposure of employees to unsafe environments related to computers
• Computer accessibility for workers with disabilities
• Accuracy of data, information, and knowledge
• Protection of the rights of users
• Accessibility to information
• Use of corporate computers for non-work-related purposes
• How much decision making to delegate to computers

Section 8.6 Review Questions

1. List the impacts of analytics on decision making.

Analytics can change the manner in which many decisions are made and can
consequently change managers’ jobs. They can help managers gain more knowledge,
experience, and expertise, and consequently enhance the quality and speed of their
decision making. In particular, information gathering for decision making is
completed much more quickly when analytics are in use. This affects both strategic
planning and control decisions, changing the decision-making process and even
decision-making styles.

2. List the impacts of analytics on other managerial tasks.

Less expertise (experience) is required for making many decisions. Faster decision
making is possible because of the availability of information and the automation of
some phases in the decision-making process. Less reliance on experts and analysts is
required to provide support to top executives. Power is being redistributed among
managers. (The more information and analysis capability they possess, the more
power they have.) Support for complex decisions allows decisions to be made faster
and of better quality. Information needed for high-level decision making is expedited
or even self-generated. Automation of routine decisions or phases in the decision-
making process (e.g., for frontline decision making and using ADS) may eliminate
some managers, especially middle level managers. Routine and mundane work can be
done using an analytic system, freeing up managers and knowledge workers to do
more challenging tasks.

3. Describe new organizational units that are created because of analytics.

One change in organizational structure is the possibility of creating an analytics

department, a BI department, or a knowledge management department in which
analytics play a major role. This special unit can be combined with or replace a
quantitative analysis unit, or it can be a completely new entity.

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4. Identify other examples of analytics applications to redesign work space or team
behavior.

Examples can include the use of HR systems to identify potential job candidates that
will be the best fit within an existing organization. Another example is analyzing how
employees move through the organization and who they collaborate with. This is data
that can be used to design office space that is more efficient.

5. How is cognitive computing affecting industry structure?

Cognitive computing will have a large impact in many different industries because
jobs that were historically completed by humans may be automated. This would have
large cultural implications as well as business implications. From a business
perspective, automation has the possibility to decrease cycle time while increasing
quality. Conversely, startup cost for automation may be significant.

6. Which jobs are most likely to change as a result of automation?

According to the articles, initial job losses will focus on areas that are not skill-based,
and that may require repetitive actions that do not require a high amount of
knowledge.

7. Study The Economist (Standage, 2016) report mentioned in this section. What other
impacts of automation did you find interesting?

Student perceptions may vary, but most will comment on the significant cultural
changes and implications of automation and the resulting loss of jobs.

Section 8.7 Review Questions

1. What is a data scientist? What makes them so much in demand?

Data scientists use a combination of their business and technical skills to

investigate Big Data, looking for ways to improve current business analytics
practices (from descriptive to predictive and prescriptive) and hence to improve
decisions for new business opportunities. One of the biggest differences between
a data scientist and a business intelligence user—such as a business analyst—is
that a data scientist investigates and looks for new possibilities, while a BI user
analyzes existing business situations and operations. Data scientist is an emerging
profession, and there is no consensus on where data scientists come from or what
educational background a data scientist has to have. But there is a common
understanding of what skills and qualities they are expected to possess, which
involve a combination of soft and hard skills.

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2. What are the common characteristics of data scientists? Which one is the most
important?

One of the most sought-out characteristics of a data scientist is expertise in both

technical and business application domains. Data scientists are expected to have
soft skills such as creativity, curiosity, communication/interpersonal skills,
domain expertise, problem definition skills, and managerial skills as well as sound
technical skills such as data manipulation, programming/hacking/scripting, and
knowledge of Internet and social media/networking technologies. Data scientists
are supposed to be creative and curious, and should be excellent communicators,
with the ability to tell compelling stories about their data.
3. Where do data scientists come from? What educational backgrounds do they
have?

Data scientist is an emerging profession, and there is no consensus on where data

scientists come from or what educational background a data scientist has to have.
Master of Science (or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, MIS, Industrial Engineering,
of postgraduate analytics are common examples. But many data scientists have
advanced degrees in other disciplines, like the physical or social sciences, or more
specialized fields like ecology or system biology.

4. What do you think is the path to becoming a great data scientist?

Becoming a great data scientist requires you to delve deeply into developing
quantitative and technical skills, as well as interpersonal and communication
skills. In addition, you will need to gain significant domain knowledge (e.g., in
business). This effort will most likely require an advanced degree. It also requires
a continuous thirst for knowledge and an intense curiosity; you will always be
learning in this profession. In addition to meticulous analytical skills, it also
requires creativity and imagination. (Students will vary in their answers to this
question.)

ANSWERS TO APPLICATION CASE QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION  

Application Case 8.1: SilverHook Powerboats Uses Real-Time Data Analysis to
Inform Racers and Fans

1. What type of information might the sensors on a race boat generate that would be
important for the racers to know? What about for the fans?

Student opinions will vary, but examples may include information on boat
systems (engine, etc.), location and speed as well as biometric information on the
racers.

2. Which other sports might benefit from similar technologies?

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 Student opinions will vary, but may include car racing, motocross and mountain
bike racing.

3. What technological challenges might you face in building such systems?

Many challenges exist, with some of the primary issues including the selection
and management of large amounts of data, as well as the potential to receive that
data in real-time.

Application Case 8.2: Rockwell Automation Monitors Expensive Oil and Gas
Exploration Assets

1. What type of information would likely be collected by an oil and gas drilling
platform?

Examples of information that could be collected could include the efficiency of

individual components as they operate, the amount of waste being produced by a
component, environmental factors, and specific details such as flow rate.

2. Does this application fit the three V’s of Big Data (volume, variety, velocity)?
Why or why not?

This application fits this model well. There would be a very large volume of
information coming in across multiple locations with a significant number of
sensors at each location. Each of these locations could potentially monitor a wide
variety of data inputs. Finally, this information would need to be evaluated in real
time so that if an issue existed it could be repaired quickly.

3. Which other industries could use similar operational measurements and

dashboards?

There are many possibilities. Other industries that could use this technology
include transportation, manufacturing, food production, and agriculture.

Application Case 8.3: Pitney Bowes Collaborates with General Electric IoT
Platform to Optimize Production

No questions in this case.

Application Case 8.4: Great Clips Employs Spatial Analytics to Shave Time in
Location Decisions

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1. How is geospatial analytics employed at Great Clips?

Great Clips depends on a growth strategy that is driven by rapidly opening new
stores in the right locations and markets. They use geospatial analysis to help
analyze the locations based on the requirements for a potential customer base,
demographic trends, and sales impact on existing franchises in the target location.
They use their Alteryx-based solution to evaluate each new location based on
demographics and consumer behavior data, aligning with existing Great Clips
customer profiles and the potential revenue impact of the new site on the existing
sites.

2. What criteria should a company consider in evaluating sites for future locations?

Major criteria include potential customer base, demographic trends, and sales
impact on existing franchises in the target location.

3. Can you think of other applications where such geospatial data might be useful?

Geospatial data can be used to help customers find the right location (for example,
the closest Great Clips location). It is certainly relevant for other companies in a
variety of industries. Analyzing customer profiles and applying these to
geographic information can assist with many retail firms. Another possibility is
utilizing geospatial analysis to find locations for manufacturing facilities; in this
case you would be looking for supplier and raw materials’ locations more than
customer locations. In the consumer market, geospatial analysis can help users in
a variety of applications; for example finding the best locations for restaurants or
stores catering to the customer’s desires. (Student answers will vary.)

Application Case 8.5: Starbucks Exploits GIS and Analytics to Grow Worldwide

1. What type of demographics and GIS information would be relevant for deciding
on a store location?

There are a variety of types of information that would be very relevant for
Starbucks. From a demographic perspective, it would be important that the
individuals being evaluated fit the demographic of existing Starbucks customers.
From a GIS perspective, it would be important that these individuals were close to
a potential store location, and that the store location is convenient as they go to
and from work.

2. It has been mentioned that Starbucks encourages its customers to use its mobile
app. What type of information might the company gather from the app to help it
better plan operations?

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 The company could have mobile users’ location and location history. Additionally
this information could possibly be tied to purchasing behaviors.

3. Will the availability of free Wi-Fi at Starbucks’ stores provide any information to
Starbucks for better analytics?

WiFi at locations can support data capture from the mobile app. Additionally Wi-
Fi could provide additional information about the duration of customer stays at
the location, and the types of activities they take part in while at the store.

Application Case 8.6: Quiznos Targets Customers for Its Sandwiches

1. How can location-based analytics help retailers in targeting customers?

Location-based behavioral targeting can help to narrow the characteristics of users

who are most likely to utilize a retailer’s services or products. This sort of
analytics would typically target the tech-savvy and busy consumers of the
company in question.

2. Research similar applications of location-based analytics in the retail domain.

Student answers will vary.

ANSWERS TO END OF CHAPTER QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION   

1. What are the potential benefits of using geospatial data in analytics? Give examples.

Geospatial analytics gives organizations a broader perspective and aids in decision

making. Geospatial data helps companies with managing operations, targeting
customers, and deciding on promotions. It also helps consumers directly, making use
of integrated sensor technologies and global positioning systems installed in their
smartphones. Using geospatial data, companies can identify the specific needs of the
customers and customer complaint locations, and easily trace them back to the
products. Another example is in the telecommunications industry, where geospatial
analysis can enable communication companies to capture daily transactions from a
network to identify the geographic areas experiencing a large number of failed
connection attempts of voice, data, text, or Internet.

2. What type of new applications can emerge from knowing locations of users in real
time? What if you also knew what they have in their shopping cart, for example?

One prominent application is in the emerging area of reality mining, which uses
location-enabled devices for finding nearby services, locating friends and family,
navigating, tracking of assets and pets, dispatching, and engaging in sports, games,

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 and hobbies. Adding shopping cart knowledge will enhance the application’s ability
to provide targeted information to a customer; for example, the app could find prices
for similar products in nearby stores.

3. How can consumers benefit from using analytics, especially based on location
information?

Consumer-oriented analytics based on location information fit into two major

categories: (a) GPS navigation and data analysis, and (b) historic and current
location demand analysis. Consumers benefit from analytics-based applications in
many areas, including fun and health, as well as enhanced personal productivity.

4. “Location-tracking-based profiling (reality mining) is powerful but also poses privacy

threats.” Comment.

Students’ answers will differ. Privacy threats relate to user-profiling, intrusive use of
personal information, and not being able to control what is being collected.

5. Is cloud computing “just an old wine in a new bottle”? How is it similar to other
initiatives? How is it different?

In some ways, cloud computing is a new name for many previous related trends:
utility computing, application service provider grid computing, on-demand
computing, software as a service (SaaS), and even older centralized computing with dumb
terminals. But the term cloud computing originates from a reference to the Internet as a
“cloud” and represents an evolution of all previous shared/centralized computing
trends.

Cloud computing offers the possibility of using software, hardware, platform, and
infrastructure, all on a service-subscription basis. Cloud computing enables a more
scalable investment on the part of a user. Like PaaS, etc., cloud-computing offers
organizations the latest technologies without significant upfront investment.

6. Discuss the relationship between mobile devices and social networking.

Mobile social networking enables social networking where members converse and
connect with one another using cell phones or other mobile devices.

7. Some say that analytics in general, and ES in particular, dehumanize managerial

activities, and others say they do not. Discuss arguments for both points of view.

Students’ answers will differ. A common criticism of traditional data-processing

systems is their negative effects on people’s individuality. Such systems are criticized
as being impersonal: They may dehumanize and depersonalize activities that have
been computerized because they reduce or eliminate the human element that was
present in noncomputerized systems. Some people feel a loss of identity; they feel

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 like just another number. On the bright side, one of the major objectives of analytics
is to create flexible systems and interfaces that allow individuals to share their
opinions and knowledge and work together with computers. Despite all these efforts,
some people are still afraid of computers, so they are stressed; others are mostly
afraid of their employers watching what they do on the computer.

8. Diagnosing infections and prescribing pharmaceuticals are the weak points of many
practicing physicians (according to E. H. Shortliffe, one of the developers of
MYCIN). It seems, therefore, that society would be better served if MYCIN (and
other ES) were used extensively, but few physicians use ES. Answer the following
questions:

a. Why do you think such systems are little used by physicians?

Students’ answers will differ. Some reasons are: physicians do not understand and
therefore do not trust the ES; malpractice insurance does not cover
recommendations made by MYCIN; administrators will not invest in it;
physicians fear they will be replaced or earn less.

b. Assume that you are a hospital administrator whose physicians are salaried and
report to you. What would you do to persuade them to use ES?

Students’ answers will differ. Students should identify a combination of positive

(more money) and negative (calm their fears) motivators.

c. If the potential benefits to society are so great, can society do something that will
increase doctors’ use of such analytic systems?

Probably not—or at least not yet.

9. What are some of the major privacy concerns in employing analytics on mobile data?

Loss of privacy is a key concern in employing analytics on mobile data. If someone

can track the movement of a cell phone, the privacy of that customer is a big issue.
Some of the app developers claim that they only need to gather aggregate flow
information, not individually identifiable information. But many stories appear in the
media that highlight violations of this general principle. Sometimes, retailers provide
information on their customers to the federal government, in violation of their stated
privacy policies.

Legally, the right of privacy is not absolute. The public’s right to know is superior to
the individual’s right to privacy. For example, the USA PATRIOT Act broadens the
government’s ability to access student information and personal financial information
without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Location information from devices has been
used to locate victims and criminals, so provides a social good. But at what point is
the information not the property of the individual?

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10. Identify new cases of violations of user privacy from current literature and their
impacts on data science as a profession.

Student results will vary.

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ANSWERS TO END OF CHAPTER EXERCISES  

Teradata University Network (TUN) and Other Hands-on Exercises

1. Go to teradatauniversitynetwork.com and search for case studies. Watch the BSI

Video about the Case of Misconnected Passengers that you may have watched
while reading Chapter 1. What new applications can you imagine with the level of
detailed data an airline can capture today?

Student responses will vary.

2. At teradatauniversitynetwork.com, go to the Podcasts Library Find podcasts of

Pervasive BI submitted by Hugh Watson. Summarize the points made by the
speaker.

Student responses will vary.

3. Go to teradatauniversitynetwork.com and search for BSI videos. Review these

BSI videos and answer case questions related to them.

Student responses will vary.

4. Location-tracking–based clustering provides the potential for personalized

services but challenges for privacy. Divide the class into two parts to argue for
and against such applications.

Student responses will vary.

5. Identify ethical issues related to managerial decision making. Search the Internet,
join discussion groups/blogs, and read articles from the Internet. Prepare a report
on your findings.

Student responses will vary.

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6. Search the Internet to find examples of how analytics systems can facilitate
activities such as empowerment, mass customization, and teamwork.

Student responses will vary.

7. Investigate the American Bar Association’s Technology Resource Center

(abanet.org/tech/ltrc/techethics.html) and nolo.com. What are the major legal and
societal concerns and advances addressed there? How are they being dealt with?

Student responses will vary.

8. Explore several sites related to healthcare (e.g., WebMD.com, who.int). Find

issues related to analytics and privacy. Write a report on how these sites improve
healthcare.

Student responses will vary.

9. Visit Matt Turck’s IoT Ecosystem blog at http://mattturck.com/2016/03/28/2016-

iot-landscape/. Identify at least two companies in at least two vertical and two
horizontal sectors. Go to those companies’ Web sites and prepare a report on their
offerings and customer successes.

Student responses will vary.

10. Enter YouTube.com. Search for videos on cloud computing, and watch at least
two. Summarize your findings.

Student responses will vary.

11. Enter Pandora.com. Find out how you can create and share music with friends.
Explore how the site analyzes user preferences.

Student responses will vary.

12. Enter Humanyze.com. Review various case studies and summarize one interesting
application of sensors in understanding social exchanges in organizations.

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 Student responses will vary.

13. The objective of the exercise is to familiarize you with the capabilities of
smartphones to identify human activity. The data set is available at
archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/datasets/Human+Activity+Recognition+Using+Smartphon
es. It contains accelerometer and gyroscope readings on 30 subjects who had the
smartphone on their waist. The data is available in a raw format and involves
some data preparation efforts. Your objective is to identify and classify these
readings into activities like walking, running, climbing, and such. More
information on the data set is available on the download page. You may use
clustering for initial exploration and to gain an understanding of the data. You
may use tools like R to prepare and analyze this data.

Student responses will vary.

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