Scenarios
Example #1: Emergency Response with Dynamic Data Requirements
A major metropolitan area experiences a man-made or natural
disaster which brings down the utilities/communications infrastructure
and leaves the civilian population at risk (e.g. flood waters,
gas/chemical leaks, biohazards, widespread structural damage to
buildings). Emergency responders need to be able to collect, store,
and analyze situation specific data (refugee locations, contamination
points, dispersal areas, analyzer readings) in an extraordinarily
compressed time frame. This data also needs to be web-based so
that it can be accessed via wireless devices (laptops, PDAs, etc.).
Using our technology, we can define data collection requirements
“on the fly”, create a normalized database, create
data collection forms, and generate an entire web interface –
all in one afternoon. Many emergency scenarios preclude defining
data collection requirements in advance. This makes the development
of commercial software packages to address emergency situations
impractical. Perda can provide custom web-based data collection
and analysis tools in real-time as the information requirements
become known.
Example #2: Process Improvement Initiatives (Lean Manufacturing,
Six Sigma)
The production department of a major manufacturing company is
getting a lot of pressure from upper management to cut costs and
streamline operations in response to growing competition in the
global market. Managers have some ideas about where they might
be able to improve processes, but they have no hard data to prove
their theories. In particular, they believe that equipment downtime
could be drastically improved. Much of their equipment is under
service contracts with the manufacturer. These contracts call
for 24/7/365 support with a 6 hour response time. The managers
are fairly certain that their local manufacturer’s representative
is not meeting the 6 hour response commitment, but they have no
data to prove it since their maintenance software only captures
when the failure occurred and when the repair was completed, not
when the contractor showed up.
They don’t have the resources to develop a desktop software
application just to collect this missing piece of data, and their
maintenance software vendor won’t commit to adding the new
fields in the next version of the software. They do, however,
have new web-enabled PDAs. Using Perda technology, they could
create web-based data collection forms that would allow them to
capture the desired information on vendor performance without
using any IT resources or installing any desktop software.
Example #3: Organizations Moving Exclusively to Web-based
Applications
A branch of the US government has recently implemented a policy
banning the installation of any new desktop software on computer
workstations. With the goal of enhancing security and reducing
administrative costs, all new software applications must be web-based.
This poses a problem for department personnel. While their internal
software has all been converted to web-based applications, many
of their subcontractors are still running mission critical applications
that are only available as client/server applications. Without
the ability to install the applications and connect to the subcontractors’
servers, department personnel are greatly constrained in carrying
out their oversight responsibilities.
Using Perda’s data mining technology, department personnel
could connect to any MS SQL Server or Oracle database designated
by the subcontractor and run data mining/reporting through a web
interface. Imagine real-time reporting via the web using the source
data with no need to install any desktop software or set up any
database replication services.
