Choosing a predictive analytics project
At Smart Vision we’re in a pretty strong position to talk authoritatively about the reality of predictive analytics. That’s because […]
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Statistics in court: the story of a dataset
Like a lot of consultants working in the analytics industry, I’ve built up an extensive portfolio of materials to illustrate
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6 secrets of building better models part one: bootstrap aggregation
Bootstrap aggregation, also called bagging, is a random ensemble method designed to increase the stability and accuracy of models. It involves creating a series of models from the same training data set by randomly sampling with replacement the data.
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6 secrets of building better models part two: boosting
Boosting is another ensemble model-building method that was designed to help develop strong classification models from weak classifiers. Boosting methods focus on error (or misclassifications) that occur in prediction.
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6 secrets of building better models part three: feature engineering
Feature Engineering is really just a fancy term for creating new data. Very often we can help an algorithm build better models by preparing the input data in a way that allows it to detect a clearer signal in the often noisy data. In machine learning variables are often referred to as ‘features’, so feature engineering refers to the transformation of variables or the creation of new ones.
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6 secrets of building better models part four: ensemble modelling
Ensemble modelling refers to the practice of combining the predictions of separate models on the old principle that “two heads are better than one”. Ensemble methods can be particularly effective when combining models that have been created using completely different algorithms.
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6 secrets of building better models part five: meta models
The idea of meta modelling is to build a predictive model using the predictions or scores generated by another model. By adding the predictive scores generated by an initial modelling algorithm to an existing pool of predictor fields, a second algorithm can then exploit these scores in to build a final more accurate model.
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6 secrets of building better models part six: split models
Split models or split population modelling is another technique that allows the user to build multiple models which can then be combined to create a single prediction. The idea with split modelling is that if the data represent different populations or contain separate groups that behave in very different ways, assuming that a single model can explain all the inherent variability across these distinct populations might be unreasonable.
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What’s new in IBM SPSS Statistics v26?
In April of this year, IBM released the latest version of SPSS Statistics. Version 26 introduces a number of additional
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Expert insight: Clifford Budge, Head of Ecommerce Data Science, major toy manufacturer
Lorna: Please could you start just by talking a little bit about your own background and how you’ve come to
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I work for an analytics company, but I don’t want to talk about analytics
Here is an interesting confession. I work for an analytics company but I would really rather not think about or
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Regular Expressions for IBM SPSS Modeler: performance comparison
The Regular Expressions for IBM SPSS Modeler node pack provides 4 nodes that integrate the power and flexibility of regular
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Don’t overlook the value of quick wins in your analytics project
I was talking to a potential client recently who was frustrated by the lack of ‘real analysis’ happening in his
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A first look at SPSS Modeler v18.2
In this video Jarlath Quinn takes a first look at SPSS Modeler v18.2 and demonstrates some of the new functionality that’s included within this release.
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Expert insights: Major Lester, founder of SPSS UK talks about fifty years of SPSS
This year SPSS is 50 years old. Development started in 1965 by a team of political scientists, frustrated at how
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Three questions to ask when reading articles about artificial intelligence
You may have noticed by now that there seem to be a couple of recurring themes in the plethora of
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Thinking of using spreadsheets for advanced analytics? Think again.
When we’re talking to potential clients about advanced analytics we often ask them what tools they’re currently using. More often
Thinking of using spreadsheets for advanced analytics? Think again. Read More »
Expert insight – Paul Jackson, Head of Advanced Analytics, Bonamy Finch
Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background and how you came to be where you are career-wise?
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Expert insight – John Gill, Head of Insight and Analytics, Betfred
Can you start off by telling us a bit about your background, and how you came to be working in
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How to change the appearance of your output in SPSS Statistics
We’re often asked how you can change the appearance of the tables that SPSS generates as output. In this video Jarlath Quinn demonstrates two different ways to do this, either by choosing a different table look in the edit / options function, or by editing the table properties directly yourself.
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How to merge files in SPSS Statistics
In this video Jarlath Quinn demonstrates how to merge data files within SPSS Statistics using each of the two main methods, either adding cases (combining files with the same fields but additional rows) or adding variables (combining files by joining variables to a target file using something like an ID field as a ‘keyed variable’).
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How to create grouped or banded variables in SPSS Statistics
SPSS users often want to be able to create grouped or banded data from continuous fields such as, for example, creating age groups or income bands from continuous fields. In this video Jarlath Quinn demonstrates how to use the visual binning procedure within SPSS Statistics to do this.
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How to recode your data in SPSS Statistics
Recoding your data means changing the values of a variable so that they represent something else. Within SPSS Statistics there is more than one type of recode that can be performed.
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How to check your data for normality in SPSS Statistics
In this video Jarlath Quinn demonstrates how to use the functions within the explore command in SPSS Statistics to test for normality.
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How to calculate with dates in SPSS Statistics
In this video Jarlath Quinn demonstrates how to work with date and time variables in SPSS using the SPSS date and time wizard.
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How to select cases in SPSS Statistics
In this video Jarlath Quinn demonstrates how to use SPSS Statistics to define data filters in order to select particular cases for analysis. This can be done either to create a temporary selection or to create a permanent new file with only a subsection of cases included within it.
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How to reverse a scale in SPSS Statistics
In this video Jarlath Quinn demonstrates how to reverse the values of a rating scale (such as an agreement scale or a satisfaction scale) in SPSS Statistics, so that the highest value becomes the lowest value and vice versa.
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How to combine variables in SPSS Statistics
SPSS users often want to know how they can combine variables together. In this video Jarlath Quinn demonstrates how to use the compute procedure to calculate the mean of a number of variables to create one combined variable, and also how to use the count values procedure to count how many times a particular value occurs across a series of variables in order to create an overall count.
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Expert insight – Nick Di Paulo, Lead Customer Researcher, Hyde Housing Group
Can you start off just by talking a little bit about your background and how you came to be working
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5 key trends affecting technical training provision in predictive analytics
I have been in the business of delivering software applications and solutions that have advanced and predictive analytics at their
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Expert insight – Karsten Shaw, Director of Analytics, Populus
Could you start off just by telling us a bit about your background and how you came to be working
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Expert insight – Matt Harrop, Head of Yield Management and Analytics, Ladbrokes Coral Ltd
What’s your background? How did you come to be working in analytics? I came from an accounting background and then
Expert insight – Emma Brooker, Customer Insight Manager, L&Q
What’s your background? How did you come to be working in analytics? I suppose accidentally really. I studied politics at
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7 things you need to know about key driver analysis (KDA)
In most businesses it’s not enough to simply be measuring outcomes like customer satisfaction, sales, customer churn rates, subscription renewals,
7 things you need to know about key driver analysis (KDA) Read More »
The benefits of survey research and how online platforms can make the research process more efficient and effective
Surveys remain one of the most popular forms of market research, and consequently we regularly work with customers on large
Analytics predictions for 2018
As it is the end of the year I’ve decided to devote this blog post to some thoughts on where
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How to ensure advanced analytics gives you a concrete competitive advantage
Most companies these days are aware of the potential value that advanced analytics could offer them. Lots of people are
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TURF analysis with SPSS Statistics
In this video Jarlath Quinn introduces the popular TURF analysis technique and demonstrates how to apply it in IBM SPSS Statistics. TURF analysis is used in many industries to find the optimal sub-group of options from a wider portfolio in order to maximise their appeal to an audience or market.
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Cluster Analysis with IBM SPSS Statistics
In this video Jarlath Quinn explains what cluster analysis is, how it is applied in the real world and how easy it is create your own cluster analysis models in SPSS Statistics.
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How will the GDPR affect big data analytics?
With less than a year to go until it comes into effect, organisations are really starting to get to grips
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Introduction to the filter node in SPSS Modeler
Sometimes you may have problems with your data issues not related so much to the values of the data but to the fields themselves, such as awkward field names. The filter node is a really useful tool that offers a bunch of tricks for dealing with awkward fields.
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How to work with variable sets in SPSS Statistics
In this video we explore variable sets – a procedure in SPSS that allows you to generate subsets of variables or fields for display within dialogue boxes and in the data editor itself.
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Introduction to the generate menu in SPSS Modeler
Used correctly, the generate menu offers analysts some substantial time saving benefits. Watch this video to learn more about how you can use the generate menu effectively.
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Thinking of hiring a data analyst? What skills should they have?
Many of our clients regularly hire new analysts and we’re often involved in discussions about what the core skills are
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Do I need SPSS Statistics or Modeler? How to choose the right product for your needs
We often talk to people who are unsure whether they need SPSS Statistics or whether SPSS Modeler might be more
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How to change the defaults in SPSS Statistics
SPSS enables quite a high level of customisation so you can set up the software in a way that enables you to be a lot more productive, however many people are unaware of just how powerful these customisation options are. In this video we explore the options edit menu.
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Introduction to the data audit node in SPSS Modeler
The data audit node is a powerful tool you can use to help understand the shape and structure of your data before your analysis begins. You can also make some decisions here regarding how you might want to clean up your data, for example by dealing with missing values or extremes and outliers.
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Fear and loathing in machine learning
Over the past two years I’ve noticed a steady stream of articles in the mainstream press and business journals centred
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What do we mean when we talk about data modelling? An overview of different types of models
The real world, whether it be the physical world, for example machines, or the natural world, for example human and
Which data science tools should you learn?
I’ve blogged several times now about different aspects of data science. A conversation I’ve been having more and more frequently
Which data science tools should you learn? Read More »
