Thursday 31 May 2012

Stunning Hand-Rendered Business Intelligence Visualizations from 1870

These beautiful Visualizations posted in an article over at FastCo depict various ideas and issues from the 19th century in all of their stunning hand-rendered glory.

Pictured left: "This is a beautiful rendering of church-going in the US. Interestingly, rather than show non-churchgoers as a separate bar, they are relegated to a grey box around the outside." Timo Elliot

Read and see more here and here.


Station Casinos Selects BIS²’s Multi-Award Winning Software

BIS²’s gameViz software to provide advanced gaming analytics for Las Vegas’ Station Casinos

San Diego, CA – May 31st, 2012 - BIS² today announced that Station Casinos, the leading provider of gaming and entertainment to Las Vegas residents, has chosen to install BIS²’s gameViz™ software to take Station Casinos' gaming and analytical capabilities to the next level.

"We were on an extensive search for a best of breed product that would complement our advanced analytics with slot centric player information. The BIS² software achieves our goal by opening up a whole new dimension to drive better decisions. It enables us to truly understand player behavior through robust visual tools. We are very excited about the BIS² technology and how it can help us either reinforce our current philosphies or adjust them through quantitative data,” stated Brian Eby, Corporate Vice President of Slot Operations for Station Casinos.

“The BIS² software provides huge value in terms of driving slot floor performance and operators are now looking to our software as a way to get a more complete understanding of player activity and preferences on their property. The BIS² software makes decision-making easy. From player valuation, to asset optimization, the BIS² software empowers casino executives to optimize revenue and bottom line results,” said Mukesh Gordhan, BIS² CEO. “We are very impressed with Station Casinos operations and management team, and we are extremely pleased with their decision to install our software,” Gordhan added.

“Our new super advanced analytics to identify revenue efficiency from game changes and displacement of revenue is being welcomed as a long awaited market need by many casino operators,” said Andrew Cardno, BIS² CTO. “We use our Super Graphics and other special techniques to present data at a user-level and also in a corporate-style war-room environment to communicate what is really going on in the business,” Cardno added.

“We are very pleased to be representing BIS² in this sale with Station Casinos”, states Jon Zimmerman, President of Casino Business Strategies, a BIS² partner. “I have been an operator in the gaming industry for many years and I see the BIS² technology as highly innovative and an essential analytics tool for casino operators today,” added Zimmerman.

BIS²’s gameViz™ industry solution is a data visualization BI software solution that allows casino operators to directly interrogate their data without the requirement for ETL, and view the results visually using innovative and powerful Super Graphics. It represents the next generation of advanced data visualization software for strategic, operational, and analytical users of gaming data. Users are able to understand and take action on their gaming data in a new way. Using BIS²'s Super Graphics to view complex analysis provides a better way to understand data and quickly identify patterns, trends and improvement opportunities.

About Station Casinos LLC

Station Casinos LLC is the leading provider of gaming and entertainment to the residents of Las Vegas, Nevada. The Company’s properties include various amenities, including numerous restaurants, entertainment venues, movie theaters, bowling and convention/banquet space, as well as traditional casino gaming offerings such as video poker, slot machines, table games, bingo and race and sports wagering. The Company owns 17 properties including: Boulder Station, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Red Rock Resort, Santa Fe Station, Sunset Station, Texas Station, Days Inn at Wild Wild West and the Wildfire Gaming division that includes Barley’s Brewery, The Greens, Gold Rush, Lake Mead Lounge, Wildfire Casino & Lanes, Wildfire Boulder and Wildfire Rancho. The Company also manages Aliante Station pursuant to a management agreement. Additionally, Station Casinos LLC owns various land holdings and develops and/or manages tribal gaming opportunities in California and Michigan pursuant to development and management agreements. For more information on Station Casinos visit www.stationcasinos.com.

About BIS²

BIS²’s gaming industry solution, called gameViz™, enables casino operators to view and analyze data sets that provide the vital insights needed to gain a competitive advantage. With BIS²’s Super Graphics™, casinos can rapidly adapt to changes by gaining data insights from both within and outside the enterprise. BIS² is an innovative leader in enterprise-ready, standards-based, visually-centric analytics with solutions that reveal the trends and patterns in volumes of operational data so organizations can understand what actions are required now and tomorrow. The BIS² software products have been recognized with multiple awards such as Gaming and Leisure Magazine’s Technology Impact award and their Product Interoperability award and Casino Enterprise Managements Top 10 Slot Floor products to name a few. Other industry specific solutions available from BIS² include airViz™ (for airlines), clubViz™ (for premiere clubs), resortsViz™ (for resort operators), telViz™ (for telcos), insuranceViz™ (for insurance companies), retailViz™ (for retailers), entertainmentViz™ (for entertainment companies), makeViz™ (for manufacturing companies) and moneyViz™ (for financial institutions). For more information, please call 1-877-592-2472 or visit www.bis2.net.

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Coffee Vs Tea Infographic

This infographic found on econsultancy is refreshing in a sector that is being inundated with over-complicated presentations. Comparing the benefits and dangers of two of the most prevalent hot drinks in the world, each section is clearly laid out and beautifully illustrated. Great use of the bar graph! It's also making us re-think our forth coffee of the day...

See the full version here.



Sunday 27 May 2012

Sabre AirVision Global Conference

BIS² attended the Sabre AirVision Global Conference last week in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. We showcased with Sabre Airline Solutions, the integration of BIS²'s multi-award winning Super Graphics with the Sabre® AirVision™ Profit Manager product. Thank you to everyone involved!
Here is a short video of the event:

Riviera Black Hawk Casino Selects BIS²’s Multi-Award Winning Software
BIS²’s software installed to provide advanced gaming analytics

San Diego, CA – May 21, 2012 - BIS² announced today that Riviera Black Hawk Casino has chosen to install BIS²’s multi-award winning BI gaming software to take its operational and customer analytics to a new level.

“We are very excited about the BIS² technology and how it helps identify improvements to our gaming operations and provide new insights to better service our patrons. It provides advanced gaming analytics that really drive our slot floor performance. Additionally, the software enables us to recognize patron preferences and enhance their gaming experience,” stated David Farahi, Executive Vice President of Operations for Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc.

Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. recently acquired Riviera Black Hawk Casino through its subsidiary Monarch Growth, Inc.

“Incredibly, within a day from beginning this installation we saw the first Super Graphic visualizations of our data,” added Farahi.

“We are very pleased to be representing BIS² in this sale with Riviera Black Hawk Casino”, states Jon Zimmerman, President of Casino Business Strategies, a BIS² partner. “I have been in the gaming industry for many years and I see the BIS² technology as highly innovative and an essential analytics tool for casino operators today,” added Zimmerman.

“Our new super advanced analytics to identify revenue efficiency from game changes and displacement of revenue is being welcomed as a long awaited market need by many casino operators,” said Andrew Cardno, BIS² CTO. “We use our Super Graphics and other special techniques to present data at a user-level and also in a corporate-style war-room environment to communicate what is really going on in the business,” Cardno added.

BIS²’s gameViz industry solution is a Web 2.0 data visualization BI software solution that allows casino operators to directly interrogate their data without the requirement for ETL, and see the results visually using innovative and powerful Super Graphics. gameViz represents the next generation of advanced data visualization software for strategic, operational, and analytical users of gaming data. It enables users to understand and take action on their gaming data in a new way. Using Super Graphics to view complex data analysis gives the users a better way to understand their data and quickly identify patterns and improvement opportunities.

About Riviera Blackhawk Casino

The Riviera Black Hawk Casino opened in 2000 and is located in Black Hawk, Colorado, approximately 40 miles west of Denver. The property is the first casino encountered by visitors arriving from Denver on Highway 119 and features approximately 32,000 square feet of casino space, 750 slot machines, 8 table games, a 250 seat buffet-style restaurant and a parking structure with approximately 500 spaces. Monarch owns a 1.5 acre land parcel contiguous to the Riviera Black Hawk Casino which can be utilized for future expansion.

Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc., recently acquired Riviera Black Hawk Casino through its subsidiary Monarch Growth, Inc., and also owns and operates the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, a hotel/casino facility in Reno, Nevada.

About BIS²

BIS²’s gaming industry solution, called gameViz™, enables gaming operators to view and analyze big data to provide the vital insights needed to gain a competitive advantage. With BIS²’s Super Graphics™, gaming operators can rapidly adapt to changes by gaining data insights from both within and outside the enterprise. BIS² is an innovative leader in enterprise-ready, standards-based, visually-centric analytics with solutions that reveal the trends and patterns in volumes of operational data so organizations can understand what actions are required now and tomorrow. The BIS² software products have been recognized with multiple awards such as Gaming and Leisure Magazine’s Technology Impact award and their Product Interoperability award and Casino Enterprise Managements Top 10 Slot Floor products to name a few. Other industry specific solutions available from BIS² include airViz™ (for airlines), clubViz™ (for premiere clubs), resortsViz™ (for resort operators), telViz™ (for telcos), insuranceViz™ (for insurance companies), retailViz™ (for retailers), entertainmentViz™ (for entertainment companies), makeViz™ (for manufacturing companies) and moneyViz™ (for financial institutions). For more information, please call 1-877-592-2472 or visit www.bis2.net.

Wednesday 23 May 2012


Press Release: BIS² Expands Latin America Operations with New Strategic Partnership

San Diego, CA – May 23, 2012 - BIS² announced today a further expansion of its distribution network into Latin America by appointing the Seidlitz Group and its companies based in Ecuador and Chile.

“We are pleased to be representing the BIS² technology in Latin America. We have a strong connection with the region and see great opportunities to work with local casino operators to bring this proven world-leading gaming analytics technology to them,” said Alex Seidlitz, CEO of the Group companies. “The feedback we are getting from casino operators is that they are very impressed with the BIS² technology and that it can really help them to understand to a whole new level, slot machine performance and customer preferences,” added Seidlitz.

“We are pleased to have Seidlitz join the BIS² distributor network offering the BIS² multi-award winning technology to casino operators. Latin America represents an increasingly substantial and growing share of the world gaming market,” states Mukesh Gordhan, BIS² CEO. “The region is strategically important and we see this partnership as another step in establishing a strong presence in Latin America,” added Gordhan.

“The challenge of being able to better understand data is a problem that exists for all casino operators all over the world. The power of visual query is something we do exceptionally well at BIS² and I am pleased that we can offer our technology to casino operators in Latin America,” said Andrew Cardno, BIS² CTO. “I have been very impressed with the team at Seidlitz and their ability to represent us,” Cardno added.

BIS²’s gameViz industry solution allows casino operators to directly interrogate their data without the requirement for ETL, and see the results visually using innovative and powerful Super Graphics™. gameViz represents the next generation of advanced data visualization software for strategic, operational, and analytical users of gaming data. It enables users to understand and take action on their gaming data in a new way. Using Super Graphics to view complex data analysis gives the users a better way to understand their data and quickly identify patterns and improvement opportunities.

About the Seidlitz Group

Since its beginnings in 1940, the focus of the Seidlitz Group has been to provide the best service in their markets, constantly looking for the best solutions for different industries in the areas where they operate. With Seidlitz Software the Group ventured into new segments, developing firstly the document flow software for internal use and then marketing it to a wide array of users, from small lawyer practices up to multinational oil companies. The Group is currently the biggest business partner of IBM in Ecuador for customized workflow applications based on Lotus Notes. The Group also offers services in other areas that are native markets for the other divisions at Seidlitz. With the BIS² partnership, the Seidlitz Group offers the best solution for its customers, and potential customers in the region, starting with the gaming industry, and not excluding retail, resorts, banking and all other businesses that can benefit from the powerful, advanced data visualization software developed by BIS². For more information please visit: www.seidlitz.com.

About BIS²

BIS²’s gaming industry solution, called gameViz™, enables gaming operators to view and analyze big data to provide the vital insights needed to gain a competitive advantage. With BIS²’s Super Graphics™, gaming operators can rapidly adapt to changes by gaining data insights from both within and outside the enterprise. BIS² is an innovative leader in enterprise-ready, standards-based, visually-centric analytics with solutions that reveal the trends and patterns in volumes of operational data so organizations can understand what actions are required now and tomorrow. The BIS² software products have been recognized with multiple awards such as Gaming and Leisure Magazine’s Technology Impact award and their Product Interoperability award and Casino Enterprise Managements Top 10 Slot Floor products to name a few. Other industry specific solutions available from BIS² include airViz™ (for airlines), clubViz™ (for premiere clubs), resortsViz™ (for resort operators), telViz™ (for telcos), insuranceViz™ (for insurance companies), retailViz™ (for retailers), entertainmentViz™ (for entertainment companies), makeViz™ (for manufacturing companies) and moneyViz™ (for financial institutions). For more information, please call 1-877-592-2472 or visit www.bis2.net.


Article Link: 5 things CIOs should know about big data 

Article via Info World

These five tips set the foundation for any CIO's big data plans, By Joab Jackson

Article Link: Why does Data Visualization Matter?

Article by Troy Larson at Mindjet

A great reminder of how valuable data visualization can be when done correctly, and a pertinent reminder to remember your customers!
BBC Mapping Visualizations

Some beautiful visualizations of activity in Britain. Here you can see mobile usage in the first clip and air traffic in the second clip. These videos are from 2009. Still relevant today!

"Most critical  is data" Andrew Marr, Narrator



Find more here

Sunday 20 May 2012

BIS² Super Graphics Showcased this Week at 
Sabre® AirVision™ Global Conference

Ft Lauderdale, Florida – May 17th, 2012 - BIS² announced today that it has been attending the Sabre AirVision Global Conference this week in Ft Lauderdale, Florida and showcasing with Sabre Airline Solutions, the integration of its multi-award winning Super Graphics with the Sabre® AirVision™ Profit Manager product.

"From the outset we have been very impressed with the unique BIS² Super Graphics which display huge amounts of data in a powerful and easy-to-understand format. The integration of the BIS² Super Graphics with one of our flagship products, Sabre® AirVision™ Profit Manager, is a special step in the development of our technology partnership with BIS²,” states Renzo Vaccari, Director Solutions Management of Sabre Airline Solutions. “We are delighted with the feedback we are getting on this new integrated product and enjoyed showcasing it this week at our AirVision Global Conference," Vaccari adds.

"Profit Manager is a powerful decision support tool for evaluating network profitability and allows airlines to perform various types of “what if” analysis about scheduling and routes. We have applied the BIS² Super Graphics to the output of Profit Manager enabling consumers of the data to truly understand traffic, demand, and spill across all markets globally”, says Andrew Cardno, BIS² CTO. “Using multiple Super Graphics side-by-side shows this data in extreme detail enabling insight and action. Many of our customers are now using the BIS² Super Graphics to build Strategic Business Intelligence “War Rooms” and using these War Rooms for interactive decision support and to drive their businesses,” Cardno added.

About Sabre® AirVision™ Profit Manager

Accurate, robust forecasting algorithms and “what if” analysis capabilities enable airlines all over the world to develop profitable schedules and identify revenue opportunities in the competitive airline industry. Sabre® AirVision™ Profit Manager, is an integrated solution that allows airlines to perform various types of “what-if” scenarios ranging from a new market analysis and codeshare/alliance modeling to measure the impact of competitor changes on an airline’s network.

About BIS²’s airViz™ Solution

airViz™ is an industry-specific, hyper-advanced, data visualization software solution from BIS² that allows airlines with massive data collections to directly query their data and see the results visually using innovative and powerful Super Graphics. airViz™ represents the next generation of data visualization software for strategic, operational, and analytical users of business intelligence data from the airline industry. Using Super Graphics to view large data sets gives the user a better way to understand and interpret complex information and quickly identify patterns that reveal improvement opportunities.

About Sabre

Sabre Airline Solutions, part of the Sabre Holdings family, is the world's leading provider of high performance solutions for airlines and airports, helping companies generate more revenue by optimizing performance in 14 key areas of airline operations. More than 300 leading air carriers and over 100 airports use their solutions to better market their schedules, sell their products, serve their customers and operate efficiently. Sabre also distribute software solutions and consulting services to customers spanning six continents, powering the progress of a key segment of the world’s largest industry — travel and tourism. For more information please visit www.sabreairlinesolutions.com.

About BIS²

BIS²’s airline industry solution, called airViz™, enables airline operators to view and analyze data sets that provide the vital insights needed to gain a competitive advantage. With BIS²’s Super Graphics™, airline operators can rapidly adapt to revenue changes by gaining valuable insights into data from both within and outside the organization. BIS² is an innovative leader in enterprise-ready, standards-based, visually-centric analytics with solutions that reveal the trends and patterns in volumes of operational data so organizations can understand what actions are required now and tomorrow. BIS² has been recognized with multiple awards such as Gaming and Leisure Magazine’s Technology Impact award, their Product Interoperability award and Casino Enterprise Managements Top 10 Slot Floor products to name a few. Other industry specific solutions available from BIS² include clubViz™ (for premiere clubs), gameViz™ (for casino gaming operators), telViz™ (for telcos), insuranceViz™ (for insurance companies), retailViz™ (for retailers), entertainmentViz™ (for entertainment companies), makeViz™ (for manufacturing companies) and moneyViz™ (for financial institutions). For more information, please call 1-877-592-2472 or visit www.bis2.net.
 

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Big Data Predictions for 2012

Wordle: Big Data Predictions 2012
There are some great articles around predicting the year in big data. Here is a Wordle analysis of some of these articles.

..."Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text..." Making it a quick and interesting way to visualize popular phrases in text—highly appropriate for the sector!

As you could have predicted, big data features most prominently, with enterprise, solutions and Hadoop also showing up in bold. A great resource for the buzz words in 2012 big data!

Monday 14 May 2012

Article Link: Forrester: Customer Experience Management and 13 Emerging CRM Trends

Article via CMS Wire

According to recent research from Forrester, despite widespread adoption and deployment, many IT and business people say they are struggling with CRM strategy and technologies.

"...[Struggling] not just with how to define the correct CRM strategies for their enterprise, but also struggling to re-engineer customer-facing processes where those processes are not working, and struggling to acquire the appropriate technologies to deal with the problems...."

In this article—which links to the report itself—Forrester researcher William Band discusses several facets of CRM strategy that are necessary: "...Success, he says, requires maintaining a focus on four critical elements simultaneously: strategy, process, technology and people..."

Read more here.

CMS Wire on Twitter:
BIS2 on Twitter: @BIS2Media
How do you make knowledge powerful?
This excellent Motion Graphic describes the value of data visualization.




Agency: Column Five Media
Creative Director: Ross Crooks
Project Manager: Nick Miede
Motion Designer: Chase Ogden
Graphic Designer: Andrew Effendy
Voice Over: Erin Spencer

Tuesday 8 May 2012

BIS2 lands in the Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products Awards 2011

We're excited to be named in Casino Journal's Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products Awards 2011! Read on for more details.

BIS² Wins Twice in Casino Journal Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products Awards 2011

San Diego, CA – May 1st, 2012 - BIS², the market leader in providing visually-centric BI tools to the gaming industry, announced today that Casino Journal has recognized two of its latest product innovations in the Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products Awards 2011. The two products recognized were BIS²’s new tableVizPLUS product and BIS²’s Customer Preference Calculators.

“We are really excited to be included in Casino Journal’s Top 20 Awards. It exemplifies BIS²’s commitment to delivering real innovation and value-added solutions to our customers,” said Mukesh Gordhan, BIS² CEO. “Our fast growing list of customers, both domestically and around the world, is also a true testament to the uniqueness and value of our technology,” added Gordhan.

“We have been working very closely with our customers and identified some real needs in the market that were not being met. BIS²’s unique ability to combine gaming knowledge, with software engineering, advanced mathematics and data visualization, has enabled us to deliver some very impressive solutions,” states Andrew Cardno, BIS² CTO. “Customer feedback on our new innovations has been fantastic and I am pleased that both our tableVizPLUS product and our Customer Preference Calculators have been recognized in the Casino Journal awards,” Cardno adds.

“BIS²’s Customer Preference Calculators have really changed the way we look at customer play and the gaming floor. We can now get rid of all the noise in our data and really understand preferences and see what is happening on the floor,” said Mike Paulos, Business Analyst, Marketing, Cannery Casino Resorts. “The results have been tremendous and it is changing the way we are approaching our analytics,” added Paulos.

“BIS²’s new tableVizPLUS product is getting a fantastic response from casino operators, particularly from those with stronger table games operations,” said Sylvain Tassé, BIS² partner, BI2U founder and director. “The product is bringing table game analytics on par with those of slot analytics,” added Tassé.

BIS²’s gameViz™ industry solution for the gaming industry, allows casino operators to directly interrogate their data and see the results visually using innovative and powerful Super Graphics™. gameViz represents the next generation of advanced data visualization software for strategic, operational, and analytical users of gaming data. It enables users to understand and take action on their gaming data in a new way. Using Super Graphics to view complex data analysis gives the users a better way to understand their data and quickly identify patterns and improvement opportunities.

A panel of expert judges evaluated more than 60 entries from industry vendors showcasing their newest, most innovative products and services to decide Casino Journal's Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products Awards for 2011. Judging this year's contest were Greg Solomon, Chief Executive Officer, MotorCity Casino; Donne Grable, Vice President, Gaming Operations, VCAT LLC; and Warren Davidson, Slot Director, Coushatta Resort.

About Casino Journal

Casino Journal is an independent global information source serving every gaming sector. Providing solutions to real world challenges facing executives and operators in today's economic climate, their readers learn about industry trends, new technologies and how to meet changing customer expectations with clarity and concrete solutions. Bringing timely and authoritative coverage via Casino Journal’s monthly magazine (now available in either print or digital) and their three e-Newsletters: Games & Technology Report, Gaming Headlines, and Products of the Week. Casino Journal and BNP Media's Gaming Group combines print, the Internet, e-Newsletters, custom publishing, live conferences and much more to provide superior information to help the gaming industry thrive and businesses to succeed.  

About BIS²

BIS²’s gaming industry solution, called gameViz, enables casino operators to view and analyze data sets that provide the vital insights needed to gain a competitive advantage. With BIS²’s Super Graphics™, casinos can rapidly drive and adapt to revenue changes by understanding data from both within and outside the enterprise. BIS² is an innovative leader in enterprise-ready, standards-based, visually-centric analytics with solutions that reveal the trends and patterns in volumes of operational data so organizations can understand what actions are required now and tomorrow. BIS² have previously been recognized with multiple awards such as Gaming and Leisure Magazine’s Technology Impact award, their Product Interoperability award and Casino Enterprise Managements Top 10 Slot Floor products to name a few. Other industry specific solutions available from BIS² include airViz™ (for airlines), clubViz™ (for premiere clubs), resortViz™ (for resort operators), telViz™ (for telcos), insuranceViz™ (for insurance companies), retailViz™ (for retailers), entertainmentViz™ (for entertainment companies), makeViz™ (for manufacturing companies) and moneyViz™ (for financial institutions). For more information, please call 1-877-592-2472 or visit www.bis2.net.