In technology and business, Agile methodologies have become something of a gospel. They are hailed for their flexibility, responsiveness, and ability to foster continuous improvement. But in this congregation of Agile followers, there exists a group of nonconformists – the…
We have published the Railroad Greenhouse Gas Expert plugin for ChatGPT to OpenAI's ChatGPT store. This plugin is primarily built from papers, reports, and other materials produced by Wayne Kennedy, a long-time subject matter consultant to First Analytics, along with…
For the longest time, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies were limited mostly to mass marketing, unable to address consumers directly. That has changed, and with the emergence of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), understanding and predicting consumer behavior is now more…
We are kicking off the new year with our updated website launch! And our New Year’s resolution is to continually keep it fresh and up to date. Our current website was put in place in late 2019. It had changed…
As a firm which focuses on moving beyond data science to optimization, we recognize that there is a distinction between what is mathematically optimal and what is business optimal. As we enter into what is predicted to be the busiest…
Large Language Models (LLMs) have historically struggled with numerical data, primarily because they are, at their core, language models. But OpenAI has aspirations to move into the business intelligence and analytics spaces. One way is through the Advanced Data Analysis…
This article was originaly posted at Forbes.com by First Analytics chairman and cofounder, Tom Davenport. XREA and First Analytics are partners, as announced here. ---- During the Information Age, many companies pulled together data from public and private sources and…
First Analytics is a pioneer and leader in applying advanced analytics and machine learning to employee and public safety, a field we've been dedicated to since 2011. We have distilled many of our experiences into a book, "Predictive Safety Analytics:…
Fuel savings technologies, such as top-of-rail friction modifiers or solid stick wheel flange lubrication, offer the prospect of savings millions of dollars in fuel cost. At the same time the investment is also in the millions of dollars. Putting a…
At First Analytics we have been using Generative AI tools, such as Large Language Models, to enhance our own productivity. Exercising caution is necessary, as we discussed in this June co-presention. With extensive work in the rail industry, we are…