Why Data Matters: Age of Analytics

In the neonatal care unit of a Toronto hospital, data streams coming off a baby are analyzed to predict the onset of dangerous diseases. At a facility in Vermont, analyzing data from equipment utilization is leading to more efficient power usage. Find out how data analytics can drive real-time decisions from IBM experts.

JAI MENON: Isn't everything we do, all of our actions, really driven by data about experiences we've had, what we've liked, what we've not liked? All this goes into making decisions about our lives. And so, it is, in some sense, the whole world is analytics, isnt it?
JOHN COHN: The whole idea is being able to get that data from all of those usage points, analyze it, and make a real-time decision.
JAI MENON: In Toronto we have a set up with the neonatal care unit at the hospital. And what we're able to do is actually, the monitors on the baby, taking the data streams that are coming off of the monitors, and then analyzing that data in real time as its coming off the baby. We're able to predict the onset of things like sepsis for the baby 18 to 24 hours before an experienced nurse would have been able to do the same thing.
JOHN COHN: Working on a project now in my home site in Burlington, Vermont. Just by doing analytic data on power usage, weve been able to save about 40% of our power. And its not from changing the light bulbs or anything like that. Its from analyzing the data and making better decisions about how we run the equipment.
We had the iron age and atomic age and the computer age. But I think, where we are right now, is were entering the true Analytics Age maybe thats what we would call it.