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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Fleet Managers - the human brain as a Big Data Engine

In a recent post by the GoodData blog, they discuss how Warren Buffet has consistently been able to outperform the stock market by roughly 13% over a 35 year period;  the implication being that Mr. Buffet's methodology allows him to act like a human version of a Big Data engine.

The article indicates that with the proper training/education, focus, analytics, and accurate information, that the human brain, can rival similar Big Data systems; much as Warren Buffet has.  While increases in computer processing power continue to follow Moore's law, all but a few of the most powerful computer systems lag well behind the human brain's capacity.

Some of their suggestions for emulating Mr. Buffet's success include:

  • Knowing or understanding what you're looking for.
  • Understanding how the object of your research works.
  • Using solid benchmarks.

Underlying these suggestions is the ability to filter through emotion and the urge to apply 'guesswork' to the analysis instead of real research.

This is true for fleet managers as well.  When provided with visually formatted maps, and reports, they can spot trends and deficits with amazing accuracy.  It's up to the vehicle tracking systems to provide the fleet manager with accurate information and statistics to create solid benchmarks - and to flag events that help to identify trends or problems.

So while vehicle tracking systems are an invaluable tool for collating information - don't forget that it takes a trained and insightful human mind to properly interpret the information in a meaningful manner - and to help apply well thought out solutions to problems as they arise.

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