Re Emergence of AI in the Enterprise

Seeing this directly and also through increasing queries about what to do next to play.  Good overview.

Artificial intelligence in the enterprise: It’s on  
Companies as diverse as Pitney Bowes, General Electric and Twitter are taking the plunge into machine learning. Here’s why.  ,,, 

Pitney Bowes Location Intelligence

Back in the enterprise we used the Mapinfo GIS system for location and mapping.    They were acquired by Pitney Bowes.  Now that location intelligence system is used by GE in its Predix platform.  The Mapinfo Pro systems still exist.  This is a useful integration of GIS and location analytics.  They write:

" ... What is Location Intelligence?
Location Intelligence is the capability to understand complex relationships between location and data in order to drive better business decisions. It enables organizations to derive meaningful insight by harnessing the power of location to solve business problems, deliver location-based services or manage assets. ... "

Pitney Bowes and GE Software's Predix

It is nice to see the terms predictive and prescriptive used specifically here, the prescriptive is not that often mentioned.  It implies the integration of analytics and specific business process, which is good. Have not looked at GE's Predix.

GE, Pitney Bowes team up on predictive and prescriptive analytics
The two companies will use GE's Predix software platform for the Industrial Internet of Things to develop customized asset performance management applications.

GE and Pitney Bowes are going to bring the power of predictive and prescriptive analytics to mail production mail.

The two companies today sealed an alliance around GE's Predix software platform for the Industrial Internet, under which they will develop customized asset performance management (APM) applications for Pitney Bowes and its Enterprise Business Solutions customers. Powered by Predix, the services is designed to give Pitney Bowes the capability to analyze data generated from its production mailing and shipping machines, and its clients' machines, to provide client and productivity services and job scheduling capabilities. ...   " 

Netezza and Mapinfo

Used the package Mapinfo several times in the enterprise. Including the construction of front ends for optimization packages for the supply chain. The world of geographical information systems has changed considerably in the last few years. APIs for popular mapping programs have changed this domain. Most BI packages include a method to visualize geographic data.

Still, more fully featured GIS systems give better capabilities for mapping and analyzing location data. They also allow quick interaction with massive databases allowing an element of interactive analytics.

Mapinfo eventually ended up being acquired by Pitney-Bowes Business Insight, also a company we had interacted with a few times. Now they have announced a partnership with fast data warehouse innovator Netezza, which I have recently started talking to. This makes a lot sense, the article linked to above covers some of their telecom analysis directions:

" ... Using solutions from Pitney Bowes Business Insight along with Netezza data platforms, telecommunications providers can leverage vast data sets on customer behavior information, such as service usage patterns, detailed call records and website use, to analyze and segment customers. This comprehensive data analysis allows providers to target services or new opportunities to the most appropriate customers and prospects. Telecommunications organizations can also use customer data to better manage costs and revenue by mapping network assets and identifying optimal sites for network expansion ... "