Predictive business analysis likely to be next wave of BI

Visual Numerics – which has its roots in developing advanced algorithm software components for simulation in a range of industries across the Fortran, Java, Microsoft Visual C# and .Net environments – has built what CEO Phil Fraher describes as: “Some neat technology for advanced forecasting using neural networks.” This, in combination with its PV Wave visualisation technology, which is able to handle massive data sets and provide 4D and 5D colour representations, will, he believes, feed an emerging business requirement for informed future gazing. “I see it as a ‘perfect storm’,” he says. “Memory is cheaper, CPU power is cheaper, so data warehouses and our analytics will give companies a powerful new set of affordable business tools… To date, the best analyses have been of masses of historical data crunched at very high speed. Now manufacturers can afford that kind of horsepower and they will want to do more.” About 40—50% of Visual Numerics applications are in manufacturing industry, with big names including Rolls Royce Engine Production and Thales in the UK, as well as GE Medical Systems for its CT Scanners. Its software components are also embedded in many of the major ISVs’ packages, driving their modelling and analysis engines.