IBM’s DB2 certification can be a great way for you to validate your skills. It’s also expanding the possibilities of Data Analytics. Anyone who shops online knows the amazing ability of Facebook and other popular Web pages to track what you’ve been doing.
It’s a little creepy at first. How can they know? Am I being watched? It becomes second nature after a while. Some people are curious enough to take the time to learn how cookies work and how they can be cleared. However, knowing that you have been shopping for boots and specifically Wolverine 100 Mile boots at Zappos is only the tip of the iceberg. These are four fascinating, creepy, and cool examples of modern data analytics:
1. Breaking the news about a recent pregnancy
Target received a complaint from a father who was concerned a few years back. His high school-aged daughter was receiving advertisements in the mail about maternity wear and other items related to pregnancy. This man believed that the company was encouraging his teenage daughter to procreate, even though she was not pregnant. The customer was confused and representatives offered their sincere apologies. They even called back again to apologize for the mistake. The conversation turned and Target was contacted by the father. His daughter was indeed pregnant.
The question is: How did Target know this? Forbes claims that it wasn’t because they were spying on her. A representative explained that the company had linked interest in unscented lotions and certain vitamins supplements to expectant mothers through data analysis. Although it is somewhat creepy, this is quite amazing. These predictive analytics capabilities can be applied elsewhere and the possibilities are endless.
2. You can get rid of the’six degrees’ thing
According to Facebook, you may be connected to anyone in the world by a distance of more than 3.5 degrees. The social media portal is being used by more people than ever before, reducing the distance between people.
Facebook stated in a blog post that it was difficult to calculate this number across billions and hundreds of billions friendship connections. “[W]e use statistical methods…to accurately estimate distance based upon de-identified, aggregated data.”
To be fair, researchers at Cornell and Italy’sUniversitadegli Studi di Milano narrowed the six down to 3.74 in 2011, according to USA Today. However, it is reasonable to assume that the human population has increased since then. This is why it’s telling that the number of people has declined due to social media. It’s also a great example of what data analysis can teach us.
3. Chicago: Kill rats
This actually happened. Fortune and all other publications wrote about it. According to the report, the Windy City spent twelve years collecting data on rodent-related complaints. These data also collected grievances about other issues, such as graffiti or smelly dumpsters. But the rats dominated the data analytics. Data engineers used the vast amounts of information they had accumulated over the years to predict rat breeding areas.
Brenna Berman, Chicago’s chief information officer, stated that they discovered a really interesting relationship that led them to develop an algorithm for rodent prediction. It involved 31 variables that were related to calls about food poisoning in restaurants and overflowing trash bins.
This information was then used by the city’s sanitation department to combat rat infestations 20% more effectively than other tactics. Fortune noted that this isn’t the first time Chicago has used predictive analysis to solve a problem. The city has been using 911 data for the past three years to try and predict crime patterns. One time, it was even able to prevent a shootout.
4. Find a job
Data analytics can be used to help you predict customer pregnancies, fight crime, kill rats, and determine the degree of human interconnectedness. Qualified data scientists will be needed in all industries and verticals, as long as this continues.
Basic computer training can go a long way to this end, but when backed up by formal DB2 training orCognoscertification,new career possibilities can be added to the list of things that data analytics can accomplish. Machine learning, predictive analytics, and business intelligence are some of the most popular technologies. They will continue to be so for many years. There is no better time than now to get into data.
To find out if a DB2 certification might be right for you, check out New Horizon Learning Group’s IBM training today!
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IBM Authorized Training New Horizons Learning Group has been authorized to offer IBM software training. New Horizons Learning Group has partnered with LearnQuest to offer authorized training for the design and installation of IBM technology, storage, and hardware. New Horizons Learning Group is now able to use the award-winning IBM technical training content, which is only available to global training providers. The definition of big data is large amounts of data that can easily be analyzed to identify patterns and predict trends. There are few technologies that can be as disruptive as cloud computing. This innovative service offers many benefits to a wide range industries.