Urban Blog
Latest articles, news and thoughts from Urban AI
Bullshit and X-ray specs
It’s perhaps to early to call it, but I think this article on bullshit, more politely titled “How politicians poisoned statistics”, by Tim Harford for the FT Magazine, may just be the best thing I read in 2016. “Statistical bullshit”, to Tim’s definition, is espoused by those who do not actually care about the truthfulness[…]
Sugar Taxing Dataviz
Well, I decided to enter #MakeoverMonday this week. It’s a weekly dataviz challenge set by Andy Kriebel, open to all. The rules of the game are simple. Each week Andy selects an example dataviz published somewhere on the web – usually something topical used on a news site – and the challenge is to produce your own,[…]
The Stolen Years
Everybody dies. Why state the morbidly obvious? Language used by politicians and the media, with phrases like “excess deaths” (more people died than we expected) or “weekend deaths” (err… because dying on at the weekend is worse?), often give the strange impression that death is some sort of avoidable outcome.Perhaps we should change the language. Not[…]
Push-Pull Healthcare
This article in the Guardian chimes with a lot of thinking I’ve been doing on healthcare recently. I encourage you to read past the attention-grabbing headline. This is not about Artificial Intelligence – though there are a lot of interesting potential applications for AI in healthcare, which I plan to blog about soon – it is about[…]
The Four Horsemen of Data Graphics: Form, Function, Context and Complexity
When you make changes to a data graphic to give it more ‘wow’, you do so because you are trying to grab your readers attention. That’s fine, to a point. And it can serve the noble aim of trying to get your audience to spend more of their precious attention learning from your graphic whatever it is[…]
NHS staff nationalities
Another example of what you squeeze out of the vast array of publicly available NHS data.In this case, specifically sourced from NHS Hospital & Community Health Service (HCHS) workforce statistics.
The NHS estate visualised
I’ve had cause to be up to my elbows in NHS data recently, thinking about new and interesting ways to visualise some of it. More to come on that front… I’ve also been playing with the beta version of Tableau 9.3. (Some nice improvements coming in this update for you Tableau 9.2 users, esp. Tableau[…]
Add-Ins and Apps : Why aren’t you doing this?
Despite the rise of the mobile app, old school PCs and laptops, with their swiss-army-knife Microsoft Office installations, remain ubiquitous in business. Indeed, according to Microsoft, about 1 in 7 people on the planet (1.2 billion) still use Microsoft Office.Given this it’s always struck me as surprising how rarely companies take advantage of the ability[…]
On the distinction between information and data
Some people make a big distinction between information and data. And they get very cross with others who use the terms interchangeably. They think that data is like the wheat grain which, when ground and processed becomes your bread: the information. Now make a tasty sandwich*. information is just data which as been made usefulI think[…]
Our Focus
How we can help you.
Data Visualisation
Need Business Intelligence? We can support you in design and implementation, from enterprise roll-out to individual reports.
Predictive Modelling
How do you use your data to look forwards rather than back? We have experience in forecasting, what-if modelling and machine learning.
Data Wrangling
In a mess with Excel? Flooded with data in different formats? We can disentangle and leave you with more robust, maintainable data processing.
System Integration
Full benefits in data analytics only come when the clever stuff is integrated into business processes and systems.
About Us
We exist to help you make better decisions in business.
In the 18th Century we saw the Industrial Revolution. Transformative changes in engineering boosted manufacturing productivity up to 50%. The study of science, and in particular a relentless application of the scientific method, have brought greater advances in human knowledge and health in the last 200 years than the preceding 200,000. These advances have also given us computers, statistics; and the ability to store, process and use information in previously unimaginably ways.
Our society uses data and information every day to design homes, diagnose illness, schedule holidays, process payments; and increasingly to plan and predict. We'd still do most of these things without information of course, just not very well. At Urban AI we use the latest tools and technology to help you get the most from your data. Give us a business problem - it should always start with the problem, not with the data - and we'll work with you to break it down, distill the relevant data and build a sustainable solution.
The fancy term these days for what we do is data science. But we prefer to think of it as a particular brand of problem solving. Helping you take data and turn it, not into information but, into applied intelligence.
Analytical Hours
We bring over 30,000 hours of analytical experience to bear. Blending domain knowledge with specialist skills in data analysis, system design and coding.
Industry Experience
Two parts analytic, one part domain. With experience in Healthcare, Finance, Government and more, there is no business domain where we cannot add value.
Problem Solving
At heart we are problem solvers. What gives us the most satisfaction is helping our clients crack the problems which can truly transform their business.
Visual Design
Good presentation of data is vital. At Urban AI we put particular emphasis on this 'final ten percent'. The finest analysis is worth nothing if it cannot be quickly digested.