I've been delivering data integration solutions for decades but I only recently started working with Hadoop. McKnight's and Dolezal's book is very helpful for people using any data integration technology. The language is for executives, directors, managers, and practitioners interested in learning (or learning more) about the oft-overlooked topic of data integration. As I often tell people, "You can't do Big Data without... data." The data required for modern analytics projects is rarely stored nearby.

Utilizing physical big data to dramatically improve how brick and mortar businesses work 5. Percolata: Helping retailers predict in-store customer traffic: EFFECTS OF USAGE • The free traffic counters contributes to tracking the customer count for retail stores and then project traffic going forward for the website. Major benefits include saved manager time, increased revenue, and the improvement of customer loyalty. Prelert automates behavioral analytics allowing its customers to discover real-time insights while minimizing the upfront investment 7. Prelert - Behavioral analytics for payment security: EFFECTS OF USAGE • Machine Learning (ML) are at play to flag any malpractice in very high volume high frequency data transactions / communications. Powerful cloud based analytics 9. Azure ML – Sales Forecasting: EFFECTS OF USAGE • The platform comes loaded with many different samples that include models to predict credit risk, customer churn, flight delays, and many others which will help you predict different scenarios. USE CASE – Predicting Performance of Fundraising Campaigns All rights reserved.

Tokyo, December 16, 2016 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced the development of a "remote gaze detection technology" that enables real-time detection of the direction an individual is looking, even when using existing cameras from remote locations. Conventional technologies estimate an individual's line-of-sight using specialized devices equipped with infrared lights and advanced cameras that detect light as it is reflected from an individual's eye. This new technology, developed as part of NEC's cutting-edge portfolio of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, NEC the WISE (*1), uses face feature point detection technology, the core of NEC's world leading face recognition technology (*2), to accurately identify characteristics in and around the eye, such as the pupil and the corners of the eye, from images taken with common cameras, including web, surveillance, tablet and smartphone cameras, without the need for specialized equipment. These images and technology enable highly accurate detection of an individual's line-of-sight, with a measurement error of less than 5 degrees from the left, right, top and bottom. Moreover, this remote gaze detection technology's advanced response to low resolution images and changes in brightness enable it to detect an individual's line-of-sight, even when they are separated from the camera by 10 meters, making it well suited for automatically detecting products that draw the attention of shoppers at retail stores. Furthermore, the high speed computations of its "feature value extraction technology" enable it to simultaneously detect the line-of-sight of multiple individuals, without compromising the accuracy of its results.

It's Friday afternoon and, while leaving office, you receive a weather alert on your mobile from your favorite retailer -- a thunderstorm will be in your area in about three hours. Your daughter's birthday is tomorrow and you need to buy few items on your way home. Lucky for you, the retailer has a cognitive agent in its app so you can check to see if you can order your daughter's gift online using the app. You ask the cognitive agent "What I should buy for a 5-year-old girl's birthday?" The agent gives you various options as well as new fashion trends in girls' clothing and provides the popularity of these products.

They say "seek and you shall find," but sometimes, a search doesn't always come up as fruitful as all parties had hoped. This can especially be the case in eCommerce. "Site search has been an unsolved problem in eCommerce, with online retailers losing significant revenue every day because they are not able to connect shoppers to the products they are most likely to buy," said Pavan Vilas Sondur, CEO and cofounder of Unbxd, a cloud-based eCommerce product discovery solution that helps marketers deliver a personalized and tailored shopping experience to their customers. "Unbxd uses advanced artificial intelligence, Big Data and predictive analytics to help eCommerce companies improve their site search." The mission of the business is to help empower retailers to build engagement with their customers through a search that understands natural language, is personalized for each shopper and is continually learning and adapting to the latest consumer trends.

It's almost Christmas and you still haven't gotten gifts for everyone. In a world that's increasingly wired and well connected, a great tech gift might be the perfect fix for your Christmas gift woes. Here are some items you can get in stores this week at the last second, all of which will be sure to please this Christmas. The Google Home could be a perfect product for any techie. It's essentially like living in a long-imagined future where you speak commands -- such as "Play a favorite song" or ask a random question -- and the little, oblong speaker calmly answers.

Where appropriate, we brought back trends from previous reports, once they had hit tipping point or promised new value.We looked ahead to predict which consumer segments will be most affected by the trend, how it will evolve, and identified brands that are leading the way. They are the early adopters of new technology. Millennials – those born after 1982 – are adept at making the most of technology to create a world of difference for themselves. Technology has given them the freedom to redefine the way they work, play, shop and to take control of their daily activities. Their dependence on their smartphones and other new technologies sets their expectations for how they want to engage with brands. Generation Z – defined loosely as those born after the late 1990s – are the first true digital native generation, and are the native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games and the internet.

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Carrefour, the French supermarket giant whose name translates to "intersection," is building a new service capability to support its broad omnichannel strategy. The company is rolling out modern apps, such as one that makes it easier for consumers to shop using mobile devices and pick up their groceries without having to leave their cars--or their homes, for that matter. It's also adding modern capabilities that help customer service agents provide more efficient assistance, whether consumers are reaching out via email, web chat, or phone. These types of capabilities are growing in importance. Some 54% of consumers expect "promotions and offerings that are more relevant to me," and 25% are looking for a "more personalized experience," according to a survey by consulting firm Morar, conducted on behalf of Oracle.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing everything from marketing to healthcare. And this holiday season is the beginning of the future for how marketers will leverage AI to better understand, connect with, and create superior experiences for consumers. To better appreciate the impact that AI is having on retailers, I connected with IBM's first CMO, Michelle Peluso. Peluso has a strong background in retail, having served at the CEO of Gilt as well as the Global Consumer Chief Marketing and Internet Officer at Citigroup. Peluso provides her thoughts below on how Watson's AI capability is changing the way retailers impact the consumer shopping experience.