The Economist article Untangling the Social Web describes growing interest in business and government organizations in extracting information and making predictions by collecting and analyzing social network data. The article leads with an example of how mobile phone companies in the very competitive Indian market analyze their customer’s social networks to identify the most influential ones in order to “keep them on board with special discounts and promotions”. (See Social ties and their relevance to churn in mobile telecom networks.

According to the Economist, there’s a big market for such software.

“By one estimate there are more than 100 programs for network
analysis, also known as link analysis or predictive analysis. The raw
data used may extend far beyond phone records to encompass information
available from private and governmental entities, and internet sources
such as Facebook. IBM, the supplier of the system used by Bharti
Airtel, says its annual sales of such software, now growing at
double-digit rates, will exceed $15 billion by 2015. In the past five
years IBM has spent more than $11 billion buying makers of
network-analysis software. Gartner, a market-research firm, ranks the
technology at number two in its list of strategic business operations
meriting significant investment this year.”

The article also touches on more sophisticated systems that integrate additional information, including V.S. Subrahmanian’s work on STOP:

“Called SOMA Terror Organization Portal, it analyses a wide range of information about politics, business and society in Lebanon to predict, with surprising accuracy, rocket attacks by the country’s Hizbullah militia on Israel. Attacks tend to increase, for example, as more money from Islamic charities flows into Lebanon. Attacks decrease during election years, particularly as more Hizbullah members run for office and campaign energetically. By the middle of 2010 SOMA was sucking up data from more than 200 sources, many of them newspaper websites. The number of sources will have more than doubled by the end of the year.”

Hello UMBC students, welcome back!

SGA is currently accepting applications to fill a vacant Senate seat.  This is an excellent opportunity to represent your peers at UMBC.  Please consider applying!

A description of all the duties of a senator and the application can be found here.

The Math Lab and Writing Center are two of the best UMBC resources for students.Drop in for help with formulas, functions, & beyond.Walk in with your next writing assignment for any class and get advice on how to make it shine. But where are they? Starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 14 the Math Lab and the Writing Center can be found on the first floor of the library, just behind the glass quiet area. If you prefer a regular appointment with a tutor to help you understand your class, go to www.umbc.edu/lrc and sign up for a tutor. Tutoring takes place in Academic IV B-wing, room 345. For A students and those who want to be: The Learning Resources Center.

The Math Lab and Writing Center are two of the best UMBC resources for students.Drop in for help with formulas, functions, & beyond.Walk in with your next writing assignment for any class and get advice on how to make it shine. But where are they? Starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 14 the Math Lab and the Writing Center can be found on the first floor of the library, just behind the glass quiet area. If you prefer a regular appointment with a tutor to help you understand your class, go to www.umbc.edu/lrc and sign up for a tutor. Tutoring takes place in Academic IV B-wing, room 345. For A students and those who want to be: The Learning Resources Center.