Thursday 25 June 2015

@MicrosoftSA Art Exhibition #SeeTheBigPicture @SandtonCity

Hi Guys!

As with many other industry buzzwords, Big Data means different things to different people, but commonly accepted is the challenge of how to find, combine, manage and analyse any type and volume of data in order to quickly gain insights and solve problems. In practicality this means, for example, that advertising agencies would be able to improve campaign effectiveness and boost ad revenue with big data by providing crucial analytics to advertisers, faster. 
“To most people and organisations, Big Data might be no more than an industry buzzword. People and organisations need to be made truly aware of the capability Big Data has to deliver the competitive advantage for businesses or empower consumers to do more with the data that they have, and ultimately empower them to transform their businesses?” asks Kelly Husband, Data Platform Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft SA. Technology has the ability to empower people and organisation to see the big picture from the masses of data that is out there. Not many people are aware of the power that technology has to manage big data and turn it into meaningful insights and show the big picture.
To illustrate the business benefits that Big Data analytics can unlock for local companies and communicate how international Big Data trends are relevant for local consumers, Microsoft partnered with Innovator and trend analyst Dion Chang.
Chang asserted that the world of the consumer is changing; with the use and analytical power of Big Data, consumers are able to redefine the way they engage with brands, companies and services. Focusing on his most recent research findings in the retail sector, Chang went on to state that retailers no longer compete against their local, provincial or national competitors, but with global players. These global competitors are capable of quoting prices in local currencies and delivering products and services in the same timeframe as a local business is able to. To stay relevant to the customer, retail companies have to anticipate changes in buying patterns and product turnover by tapping into the power of Big Data. Follow Dion Chang on twitter & FluxTrends.

Companies such as Tracker, a leading vehicle tracking company in South Africa, has been leveraging the data collected through the nodes in their customer database of vehicles to provide insights to organisations such as Navigation companies, Insurance companies, and Emergency Services. 
“With the use of already installed vehicle tracking devices, we are able to track the live movements of vehicles around the country, segmenting the data down to the side-streets of the city we can predict traffic issues, map traffic incidents and even help define the state of the roads. The possibilities are endless to help organisations like to improve the quality of our roads or reroute emergency services to help improve emergency response time,” says Wayne De Nobrega CEO of Tracker South Africa.
To address this, Microsoft South Africa has launched a Big Data campaign entitled See the big picture, to spark conversations around Big Data and educate people around the technological tools they can use to tap into the power of Big Data and see the big picture. As part of this campaign, the company commissioned six young artists to produce works of art that depict Big Data as seemingly meaningless pieces that only make sense or come into focus, when technology is used to interpret the artwork. 
All six pieces of artwork form part of an exhibition at the Mr Price Court in Sandton City, and will be on show during normal shopping hours between 19 June and 3 July. Entrance to the exhibition is free for all visitors. Follow the conversation on twitter and facebook and https://www.microsoft.com/en-za/

All of these photographs are taken using +Samsung Mobile #GalaxyS6 phone which I received for product review.
 
Cheers!!!

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