It's All Analytics, Part III

Book excerpt: Professionals are challenged each day by a changing landscape of technology and terminology. In recent history, especially the last 25 years, there has been an explosion of terms and methods born that automate and improve decision-making and operations. One term, called "analytics," is an overarching description of a compilation of methodologies. But artificial intelligence (AI), statistics, decision science, and optimization, which have been around for decades, have resurged. Also, things like business intelligence, online analytical processing (OLAP) and many, many more have been born or reborn. How is someone to make sense of all this methodology, terminology? Extending on the foundations introduced in the first book, this book illustrates how professionals in healthcare, business, and government are applying these disciplines, methods, and technologies. The goal of this book is to get leaders and practitioners to start thinking about how they may deploy techniques outside their function or industry into their domain. Application of modern technology into new areas is one of the fastest, most effective ways to improve results. By providing a rich set of examples, this book fosters creativity in the application and use of AI and analytics in innovative ways.