Connecting CAD and CAE with Data Management
June 19, 2012
One of the biggest challenges facing designers and analysts across industries is the lack of fluidity between CAD, CAE and other programs. The difficulties experienced related to this disconnect causes roadblocks that are both costly and time consuming according to the article, “Fixing the CAD/CAE Disconnect”, on Design World.
The article explains the problem in detail:
“The disconnect has to do with the data flows between design and analysis tools. CAD and CAE models are distinct and different things. Only in the simplest of cases can a CAE model be derived automatically, or with minimal work, from a CAD model. In most cases, you start with the product definition geometry, massage it to create the geometry for building analytical models, then tune and optimize that data for analysis…Too often, even minor design changes can break the linkages used to synchronize analysis models to design geometry.”
Although there isn’t a perfect answer for this problem of communicating through data between departments but the article suggests that if an answer is to be found it will be through product lifecycle management (PLM). PLM providers like Siemens PLM and Inforbix specialize in helping companies manage data including CAD files. The solution for many disconnect problems, as the article defines it, lay in finding, reusing and sharing data efficiently.
Catherine Lamsfuss, June 19, 2012
The Alleged Received Wisdom about Predictive Coding
June 19, 2012
Let’s start off with a recommendation. Snag a copy of the Wall Street Journal and read the hard copy front page story in the Marketplace section, “Computers Carry Water of Pretrial Legal Work.” In theory, you can read the story online if you don’t have Sections A-1, A-10 of the June 18, 2012, newspaper. Check out a variant of the story appears as “Why Hire a Lawyer? Computers Are Cheaper.”
Now let me offer a possibly shocking observation: The costs of litigation are not going down for certain legal matters. Neither bargain basement human attorneys nor Fancy Dan content processing systems make the legal bills smaller. Your mileage may vary, but for those snared in some legal traffic jams, costs are tough to control. In fact, search and content processing can impact costs, just not in the way some of the licensees of next generation systems expect. That is one of the mysteries of online that few can penetrate.
The main idea of the Wall Street Journal story is that “predictive coding” can do work that human lawyers do for a higher cost but sometimes with much less precision. That’s the hint about costs in my opinion. But the article is traditional journalistic gold. Coming from the Murdoch organization, what did I expect? i2 Group has been chugging along with relationship maps for case analyses of important matters since 1990. Big alert: i2 Ltd. was a client of mine. Let’s see that was more than a couple of weeks ago that basic discovery functions were available.
The write up quotes published analyses which indicate that when humans review documents, those humans get tired and do a lousy job. The article cites “experts” who from Thomson Reuters, a firm steeped in legal and digital expertise, who point out that predictive coding is going to be an even bigger business. Here’s the passage I underlined: “Greg McPolin, an executive at the legal outsourcing firm Pangea3 which is owned by Thomson Reuters Corp., says about one third of the company’s clients are considering using predictive coding in their matters.” This factoid is likely to spawn a swarm of azure chip consultants who will explain how big the market for predictive coding will be. Good news for the firms engaged in this content processing activity.
What goes faster? The costs of a legal matter or the costs of a legal matter that requires automation and trained attorneys? Why do companies embrace automation plus human attorneys? Risk certainly is a turbo charger?
The article also explains how predictive coding works, offers some cost estimates for various actions related to a document, and adds some cautionary points about predictive coding proving itself in court. In short, we have a touchstone document about this niche in search and content processing.
My thoughts about predictive coding are related to the broader trends in the use of systems and methods to figure out what is in a corpus and what a document is about.
First, the driver for most content processing is related to two quite human needs. First, the costs of coping with large volumes of information is high and going up fast. Second, the need to reduce risk. Most professionals find quips about orange jump suits, sharing a cell with Mr. Madoff, and the iconic “perp walk” downright depressing. When a legal matter surfaces, the need to know what’s in a collection of content like corporate email is high. The need for speed is driven by executive urgency. The cost factor clicks in when the chief financial officer has to figure out the costs of determining what’s in those documents. Predictive coding to the rescue. One firm used the phrase “rocket docket” to communicate speed. Other firms promise optimized statistical routines. The big idea is that automation is fast and cheaper than having lots of attorneys sifting through documents in printed or digital form. The Wall Street Journal is right. Automated content processing is going to be a big business. I just hit the two key drivers. Why dance around what is fueling this sector?
More Predictive Silliness: Coding, Decisioning, Baloneying
June 18, 2012
It must be the summer vacation warm and fuzzies. I received another wild analytics news release today. This one comes from 5WPR, “a top 25 PR agency.” Wow. I learned from the spam: PeekAnalytics “delivers enterprise class Twitter analytics and help marketers understand their social consumers.”
What?
Then I read:
By identifying where Twitter users exist elsewhere on the Web, PeekAnalytics offers unparalleled audience metrics from consumer data aggregated not just from Twitter, but from over sixty social sites and every major blog platform.
The notion of algorithms explaining anything is interesting. But the problem with numerical recipes is that those who use outputs may not know what’s going on under the hood. Wide spread knowledge of the specific algorithms, the thresholds built into the system, and the assumptions underlying the selection of a particular method is in short supply.
Analytics is the realm of the one percent of the population trained to understand the strengths and weaknesses of specific mathematical systems and methods. The 99 percent are destined to accept analytics system outputs without knowing how the data were selected, shaped, formed, and presented given the constraints of the inputs. Who cares? Well, obviously not some marketers of predictive analytics, automated indexing, and some trigger trading systems. Too bad for me. I do care.
When I read about analytics and understanding, I shudder. As an old goose, each body shake costs me some feathers, and I don’t have many more to lose at age 67. The reality of fancy math is that those selling its benefits do not understand its limitations.
Consider the notion of using a group of analytic methods to figure out the meaning of a document. Then consider the numerical recipes required to identify a particular document as important from thousands or millions of other documents.
When companies describe the benefits of a mathematical system, the details are lost in the dust. In fact, bringing up a detail results in a wrinkled brow. Consider the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test. Has this non parametric test been applied to the analytics system which marketers have presented to you in the last “death by PowerPoint” session? The response from 99.5 percent of the people in the world is, “Kolmo who?” or “Isn’t Smirnov a vodka?” Bzzzz. Wrong.
Mathematical methods which generate probabilities are essential to many business sectors. When one moves fuel rods at a nuclear reactor, the decision about what rod to put where is informed by a range of mathematical methods. Special training experts, often with degrees in nuclear engineering plus post graduate work handle the fuel rod manipulation. Take it from me. Direct observation is not the optimal way to figure out fuel pool rod distribution. Get the math “wrong” and some pretty exciting events transpire. Monte Carlo anyone? John Gray? Julian Steyn? If these names mean nothing to you, you would not want to sign up for work in a nuclear facility.
Why then would a person with zero knowledge of how numerical recipes, oddball outputs from particular types of algorithms, and little or know experience with probability methods use the outputs of a system as “truth.” The outputs of analytical systems require expertise to interpret. Looking at a nifty graphic generated by Spotfire or Palantir is NOT the same as understand what decisions have been made, what limitations exist within the data display, and what are the blind spots generated by the particular method or suite of methods. (Firms which do focus on explaining and delivering systems which make it clear to users about methods, constraints, and considerations include Digital Reasoning, Ikanow, and Content Analyst. Others? You are on your own, folks.)
Today I have yet another conference call with 30 somethings who are into analytics. Analytics is the “next big thing.” Just as people assume coding up a Web site is easy, people assume that mathematical methods are now the mental equivalent of clicking a mouse to get a document. Wrong.
The likelihood of misinterpreting the outputs of modern analytic systems is higher than it was when I entered the workforce after graduate school. These reasons include:
- A rise in the “something for nothing” approach to information. A few clicks, a phone call, and chit chat with colleagues makes many people expert in quite difficult systems and methods. In the mid 1960s, there was limited access to systems which could do clever stuff with tricks from my relative Vladimir Ivanovich Arnold. Today, the majority of the people with whom I interact assume their ability to generate a graph and interpret a scatter diagram equips them as analytic mavens. Math is and will remain hard. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. That truism is not too popular with the 30 somethings who explain the advantages of analytics products they sell.
- Sizzle over content. Most of the wild and crazy decisions I have learned about come from managers who accept analytic system outputs as a page from old Torah scrolls from Yitzchok Riesman’s collection. High ranking government officials want eye candy, so modern analytic systems generate snazzy graphics. Does the government official know what the methods were and the data’s limitations? Nope. Bring this up and the comment is, “Don’t get into the weeds with me, sir.” No problem. I am an old advisor in rural Kentucky.
- Entrepreneurs, failing search system vendors, and open source repackagers are painting the bandwagon and polishing the tubas and trombones. The analytics parade is on. From automated and predictive indexing to surfacing nuggets in social media—the music is loud and getting louder. With so many firms jumping into the bandwagon or joining the parade, the reality of analytics is essentially irrelevant.
The bottom line for me is that the social boom is at or near its crest. Marketers—particularly those in content processing and search—are desperate for a hook which will generate revenues. Analytics seems to be as good as any other idea which is converted by azure chip consultants and carpetbaggers into a “real business.”
The problem is that analytics is math. Math is easy as 1-2-3; math is as complex as MIT’s advanced courses. With each advance in computing power, more fancy math becomes possible. As math advances, the number of folks who can figure out what a method yields decreases. The result is a growing “cloud of unknowing” with regard to analytics. Putting this into a visualization makes clear the challenge.
Stephen E Arnold, June 18, 2012
Inteltrax: Top Stories, June 11 to June 15
June 18, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, how governments and the voting public are utilizing big data.
In “Government Leads Way in Big Data Training” we discovered the private sector lagging behind the government in terms of user education.
Our story, “U.S. Agencies Analytics Underused” showed that even though we have all that training, some agencies still need more to fully utilize this digital power.
“Cultural Opinion Predicted by Analytics” used the Eurovision song contest to show us the power of people using analytics and gives the nugget of thought as to how this could be used in government elections.
While sometimes the outcomes contradict one another, there’s no denying that big data analytics is a huge part of governments around the world. Expect these facts to only rise as the popularity catches fire.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
June 18, 2012
Fabasoft Sees Share Growth and Profit in the Technology Sector
June 18, 2012
In “Fabasoft Linzer makes 700,000 Euros Profit,” the Futurezone.at blog takes a look at the climbing revenue at Fabasoft. Fabasoft AG (FAA.DE) shares have seen an uptick in recent months and have generally been hovering between €3.5 and €4 since March. According to the Fabasoft Annual Report, 2011/2012 saw an 8.3 percent increase from the 2010/2011 fiscal year.
The company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange Austrian software manufacturer Fabasoft AG announced Friday evening, an operating profit of 700,000 € for the financial year 2011/12. In the previous financial year 2010/11 the company had suffered losses amounting to 300,000 euros. Revenues climbed from 21.1 million euros to 22.9 million euros. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to 2.2 million euros (1.0 million euros a year earlier).
In the Fabasoft Annual Report letter from the managing Board, Fallman and Bauernfeind also have this to say about the growth,
However, it is not only the intensity of use of our cloud products that has increased over the past fiscal year. We have also recorded encouraging growth in the ‘classic’ business sector with software licenses and the associated services. In the key business with public sector clients we have continued to make good progress despite – and in some cases also because of – considerable savings targets. Our government clients benefit from the innovation that characterizes our product development combined with the years of professional experience of a leading and proven supplier in this market segment…Based on our commitment to responsibility and sustainability the Fabasoft Group has, in the fiscal year under review, developed even further in terms of product portfolio, product accessibility, sales and marketing and in respect of providing services.
With such growth, it seems clear that Fabasoft is on the right track. In terms of cloud services and search, you may consider the full suite of solutions available from Fabasoft, including Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise. The cost-efficient and comprehensive search solution creates relevant knowledge from processing data. With extensive search, your users can find the right information at the right time facilitating the reuse of valuable business knowledge. And with mobile and Web site search features, consider Fabasoft Mindbreeze as the comprehensive solution for your information management. Read more about the full suite of solutions at http://www.mindbreeze.com/.
Philip West, June 18, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Sunglass Offers Innovative Collaboration Centered Software
June 18, 2012
One of the essential goals of product lifecycle management (PLM) is to make collaboration between engineers and departments easier. Software designed with this concept of sharing in the forefront of its usefulness is not only much needed but celebrated when created. The latest software offering sharing capabilities is Sunglass as explained in the Design News article, “Startup Sunglass Shining a Light on 3D Cloud Collaboration”.
Relying on cloud technology the article explains how Sunglass helps those in the architecture and engineering industries reliant on CAD:
“With Sunglass, users share 3D files as easily as dragging and dropping a model in any file format on to something called the Sunglass Stage…Once the models are on the Stage, the social design aspect takes over. Collaborators can simultaneously edit 3D models and give real-time feedback through a chat tool (a sort of instant messaging function) or by making a call through voice chat. The Stage also has a sketch tool for marking changes. To facilitate the sharing aspect of collaboration, Sunglass Player transforms hefty 3D models into links that can be shared anywhere on the Web — much like sending someone a link to a YouTube video.”
Innovators in the field of PLM, like Sunglass, are a welcome breath of fresh air. Their keen understanding of the relationship between social networking and collaboration and their wise observations of how engineering design collaboration is akin to gaming make them a company to watch. Hopefully, other companies will take a note on Sunglass’s reception in the PLM marketplace along with other popular companies, like Inforbix, who also profit off of the notion of making sharing easier.
Catherine Lamsfuss, June 18, 2012
ArnoldIT Starts Free Information Service. Honk!
June 18, 2012
January was a cruel month. Now it is June and the ice has melted and the grass is green for a short time. At the ArnoldIT editorial meeting on June 14, 2012, the bright but feisty team suggested that we should try something new with our flow of more than 800 stories a month. So starting today (June 18, 2012) we are starting a test of Honk, an opt in, free restricted distribution newsletter. Key point: Free. Another key point: A test.
What will the opt in ArnoldIT newsletter contain?
We will be sending out one original and quite opinionated story plus links to six or seven supporting or complementary stories each week. Today’s test issue take a hard look at predictive methods for search and content processing. Instead of dancing around a company’s misstep, the content in the registration-required newsletter names the company. We hope that each newsletter provides the equivalent of a page in a college notebook about a specific topic.
If the feedback about the restricted distribution newsletter is positive, we want to expand the content coverage, run some ads, and use the newsletter for inclusions; that is, special content tailored to our opt in readers.
The logo for the free, weekly opt in newsletter from Stephen E Arnold
To get the free newsletter off the ground, here’s the deal. Write thehonk@yandex.com. Just tell us that you want to receive the email newsletter. You will start getting it each Monday. You can opt out at any time. As a shameless inducement, anyone who signs up in the next week will receive a free copy of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search. Info about the monograph is here. The book was published in 2011 by Pandia in Norway which has shifted its business from information toward more exciting venues. Therefore, the rights are mine, and you can get a free monograph in exchange for your request to receive our new newsletter.
Just so you know what ideas the team generated are, let me highlight a few of the suggestions:
- We build our own email list. We have worked on building a search, content processing, and analytics mailing list for two publishers and several clients in the last four years. None of those outfits is still in business and we don’t have the names we acquired.
- We want to experiment with different types of content, including sponsored content. (I am not sure how this will work, but there are 20 ArnoldIT goslings who want to experiment.)
- We get requests to advertise on Beyond Search, but we have finite space. We will try to put some ads in the newsletter. Some will be gratis; others will we hope paid for by some wise advertiser.
- The newsletter may be killed because no one cares. My team and I are okay with that outcome.
We have assigned one of our content specialists to the project. Her name is Jennifer Shockley, and she will be monitoring the email at thehonk@yandex.com along with Don Anderson, the engineer who is fiddling with the email publishing systems we are testing.
The original content in the newsletter is copyrighted and may not be reused without written permission. The content on my Web site and the blogs have different terms of use.
Stephen E Arnold, June 18, 2012
Can Upstarts like Blekko Upend Google?
June 16, 2012
MIT’s Technology Review supplies more cheerleading for Google alternatives in “As Google Tinkers with Search, Upstarts Gain Ground.” The piece discusses the rise of alternative Web engines Blekko and DuckDuckGo, both of which have grown markedly in recent months. Reporter Tom Simonite suspects the boom is a response to recent changes at Google. The launch of Search, plus Your World is one such modification. News that the company will correlate activity across all Googley sites to improve the aim of its ad targeting system is another. The article informs us:
“At about the same time as these controversial changes were implemented, usage of two search startup companies, Blekko and DuckDuckGo, started to climb rapidly, and the two haven’t looked back since.
“The two sites still command only a tiny percentage of online searches, but their recent growth suggests they didn’t receive millions from venture capitalists in vain. Both companies make a point of emphasizing their relatively simple design and a commitment to protecting users’ privacy, values some people claim Google has abandoned with its social efforts.”
Privacy is why I use DuckDuckGo whenever I can, though that engine has its limitations; it crawls the Web very little, relying on data from Yahoo, Wikipedia, and Wolfram Alpha. For many searches, Blekko would seem to be the better choice, since it performs more like a younger Google. (For details on how that crawler works, see this blog post by blekko CTO Greg Lindahl.)
However, our fearless leader Stephen Arnold ran a query on topix.net which uses Blekko, then tried to get current news. He found that the system does not work reliably, providing neither appropriate scaling nor relevance. It would seem that Blekko still has some work to do.
Cynthia Murrell, June 16, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Assumed Pain of SharePoint and Proposed Solutions
June 15, 2012
There seems to be a disconnect between what employees say they need from their enterprise storage and search system, and what SharePoint delivers. However, SharePoint has become an assumed presence, regardless of the pain of configuration and upkeep. “Is SharePoint a Pain Point? Maybe It’s Time to Ditch It.” gets right to the point.
The disconnect is explained:
According to a number of studies, the No. 1 justification for spending money on a corporate intranet is to reduce the time and effort on enterprise search. With that being said, I personally haven’t met an employee at a company that feels their SharePoint system meets their needs. There is clearly a disconnect between theory and practice in the IT world.
So what are the major complaints about SharePoint? SharePoint is slow to deploy, difficult to configure, and users do not like it. Interestingly, it is estimated that SharePoint is not as cheap as it’s often said to be. For every $1 spent to license SharePoint, an additional $6 is spent to make it work.
Approximately 80 per cent of large organizations have a SharePoint system and while it can do a lot for you, it asks a lot in return. This system, designed to let people within a company collaborate and share information, requires heavy customization, has poor social computing capabilities and is not based on intuitive navigation whatsoever, making it difficult for most people to use.
So what’s the solution? We recommend using a smart third party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze to bridge the gap between what enterprise search should do and what SharePoint can do. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise can stand along or work alongside an existing SharePoint infrastructure. The addition of Connectors ensures that the Fabasoft Mindbreeze platform works seamlessly across all manner of software.
See what the Federal Ministry of Justice Agency in Austria had to say about Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise:
Mag. Jürgen Atzlsdorfer: ‘In introducing ELAK light we have made it possible to manage and store data, some of which are highly sensitive, in a secure and traceable way. Using Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise as an integrated search solution simplifies our information search. This speeds up case processing, which in turn saves time and money.’
SharePoint has its shortcomings, so for those who need to rescue an existing infrastructure, look into Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
PaaS Newest Fad in PLM Solutions
June 15, 2012
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has been a popular option for many companies unable to afford PLM platform solutions because it runs on cloud technology lowering costs. Now, according to the Software Advice article, “Three Manufacturing Apps Taking Advantage of Platform as a Service (PaaS)”, a new service is taking the manufacturing industry by storm despite the small number of providers, namely SAP, Salesforce and Net
According to the article,
“For now, the target audience for PaaS applications are smaller manufacturers because there are still computing and integration limitations that make it difficult to run complex manufacturing operations in the Cloud. However, large and complex manufacturers can still find value from point Cloud solutions or running Cloud ERP in subsidiary locations.”
PaaS and SaaS are great alternatives to entire PLM platforms for smaller companies because they keep costs low while still delivering results. Providers such as Inforbix rely on cloud technology to simplify PLM for their clients and thanks to such technologies “cloud based applications that need or can benefit from access to data from many different file types and disparate sources now have a means of increasing the value of their solution to their users.” As the article mentioned cloud technologies might just be the best thing to come along in a long time for the small and midsized manufacturing enterprise.
Catherine Lamsfuss, June 15, 2012
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