MARK D. DEMERS

MARK D. DEMERS

SR. DIRECTOR, SAS

By the grace of your respected Publisher and Editor-in-chief (Lady Anita DuckworthBradshaw), I am honored to start a monthly Powerhouse Global Magazine Technology Column; where I will be sharing knowledge and tips that would enhance our understanding on how technology affects us all. First you should know that my life’s learning over almost 40 years have always been in Technology. I learned to love it in college and have been fortunate to be in Tech industry now in various executive positions ever since.

Today and for the past 18 years I have worked for the world dominant leader in Artificial Intelligence (before it was even a “thing”) and Analytics – SAS. I run Industries here globally with my team and so I cover every industry and offer unique perspectives – through the lens of customers in industry. This column will discuss TRENDS shaping ALL industries and insights into the people reshaping them.

Given the remarkable changes in the world during our two years of COVID-19, business leaders have become more open to share how their outlooks have been changed by the ongoing challenges.

I aim to tap into that and bring it to you the reader each month. I hope that you, as a reader and leader will reach out to me to share your interesting story of inspiration as well.

EVERYTHING IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.

Forget about the so-called “new normal.” There is no new normal. There is only what is happening right now. And what is happening right now is nothing we have ever seen before. And what happens tomorrow will be nothing like we have ever seen before either. As the world in general and organizations across industries more specifically deal with an altered landscape, analytics technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are helping them adjust quickly, align resources, and better meet the evolving needs of their customers. Industries including sports and entertainment, travel, manufacturing, education and government benefit from analytical insights.

In all parts of the world, there are signs. Dreaded commuter traffic again. Surging demand for workers. Consumers spend. Amidst a continued push to vaccinate. The pandemic and its effects are still very much with us, but life seems to be returning to normal, or more precisely, a “new normal.”

As organizations across industries deal with this altered landscape, analytics technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are helping them adjust quickly, align resources and better meet the evolving needs of their customers.

To give you a taste, here are but five industries using technology to move to a new normal:

SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

This year’s Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo were different than others. Because of Covid concerns, this year’s Games were held believe it or not without spectators. The Winter Olympics in China are upon us and who knows what it will bring but I expect it to have its challenges like the Summer games.

The Canadian Olympic Committee, used advanced analytics leading up to the Games, both to help its athletes optimize training to reach the medal podium, but also to train safely during the pandemic.

Coaches and the Canadian Olympic Committee medical team continue to rely on AI and machine learning capabilities to assess training processes, identify at-risk sports, and recommend precautions.

With a dashboard powered by data visualization, coaches track athletes’ performance. In the months before the Games, the coaches also helped Canadian Team members return to their sport after a positive COVID-19 test or potential exposure.

With AI and machine learning at its heart, advance analytics helped Canadian Olympic Committee coaches and athletes re-calibrate when training disruptions occurred. Coaches could then make strategic adjustments to the routines of athletes recovering from illness or facing lost training days.

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY

Travel on airlines is picking but up again thankfully. For one I look forward to moderating and speaking on a technology panel at the May Powerhouse Global Summit.

During the pandemic, people did still take vacations, though in the United States many of those trips were by car and to nearby destinations. With its pristine beaches and laid-back lifestyle, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I’m from, has remained a tourist magnet.

Even after the summer travel season, people all over the world still take road trips and book long-delayed family vacations.

Dashboards provided insights into factors associated with athletes who tested positive for COVID.

For Twiddy & Company, a family-run company that manages more than 1,000 rental vacation properties on the northern Outer Banks, one key to its success has been analytics.

Twiddy & Company uses Analytics to provide home management and maintenance on behalf of owners while ensuring repeat visits from rental guests.

And Twiddy & Company has seen record booking of its managed properties over the last two years – including the 2020 peak COVID-19 year – and the data points to another record season this year. Using analytics, the company can forecast and streamline the management of routine services, such as cleaning hot tubs and pools before guests arrive for vacation.

Twiddy & Company uses analytics to provide memorable Outer Banks vacation experiences.

Twiddy & Company relies on remarkably specific home-pricing information to compete in the Outer Banks rental market with other local firms and large international companies like HomeAway and Airbnb.

“What we deliver is hospitality – that's our passion and our business,” says President Clark Twiddy. “Data analytics helped us to deliver it with a higher degree of confidence.”

MANUFACTURING

WaterRower, a US-based fitness equipment manufacturer was concerned with how to manage the health and safety of its employees at work during the pandemic.

When gyms and workout studios were closed, coupled with more Americans working from home, demand rose for its rowing machines. But increasing its workforce without implementing advanced safety measures was simply not an option. The solution: Peter King, CEO of WaterRower, decided to implement AI capabilities to help WaterRower employees safely return to the workplace.

WaterRower developed and deployed a computer vision system so that they monitor physical distance.

WaterRower uses an AI-powered dashboard and alert system to keep its workers safe.

The physical distance monitoring solution consists of a real-time dashboard, an alert system, and a postfacto dashboard to monitor compliance with physicaldistancing and crowddensity guidelines. Existing security camera footage from WaterRower was used to train the model, and all employee data was anonymized.

The real-time dashboard consisted of a front page displaying the activities of employees. It also included a summary of total violations and an email alert system.

The results: WaterRower’s team of engineers and manufacturing leaders continuously reviewed the SAS AI-powered dashboard and alert system. By implementing strategic changes to work areas, employee workflow and internal movement paths, WaterRower achieved record production volume while significantly reducing cases of close contact within its manufacturing facilities.

WaterRower uses an AIpowered dashboard and alert system to keep its workers safe.

EDUCATION

As stadiums, arenas and other venues welcome back in-person events, venue optimization software can help optimize attendance and create a safer fan experience.

For universities and colleges, helping its graduates attend their graduation / commencement ceremony is an important goal.

Venue optimization software helped Univ. of Wisconsin plan socially distanced commencement ceremonies.

The University of WisconsinMadison Department of Athletics used technology to determine socially distanced seating layouts for recent commencement ceremonies at Camp Randall Stadium. This home to the Wisconsin Badgers football team has a normal capacity of 80,321 people.

“An in-person commencement was an important milestone for our university. Creating a memorable experience while supporting the safety of our graduates, faculty and operations staff required significant flexibility and planning,” said Daron Jones, Wisconsin Athletics Director of External Engagement.

Venue optimization uses models and data visualization to provide an ideal seating layout based on a set of ticketing and social distancing parameters and objectives.

Wisconsin’s two ceremonies, one for undergraduates and another for graduate degree candidates, were limited to participants only. However, even in a venue as large as Camp Randall Stadium, it was a challenge to accommodate graduates while allowing for six feet of social distancing.

Potential ceremony participants were sent seating request surveys to identify groups who wanted to sit together. The venue optimization models factored in the survey results and pandemic rules and restrictions.

The State of Odisha’s public Covid dashboard.

Data visualization showed the Wisconsin athletic department what the stadium seating arrangements would look like on graduation day. The athletic department easily uploaded the venue optimization results into its ticketing system for fulfillment.

Venue optimization software helped Univ. of Wisconsin plan socially distanced commencement ceremonies.

GOVERNMENT

While there is continued talk of a “new normal” all over the world variants of COVID-19 mean that many countries are still grappling with rising infections, complex vaccine rollouts and in some cases shortages of these vaccines and other critical supplies.

India is one such country. Its eastern state of Odisha, on the Bay of Bengal, is home to more than 46 million people. That’s more than in the state of California, the most populous US state.

The Government of Odisha has turned to technology to create a public COVID-19 dashboard.

Odisha’s citizens and government officials proactively use the Odisha State COVID-19 dashboard as the single, trusted source for tracking trends in infection rates, hospitalizations and available medical resources. Using this platform, high volumes of data on citizen registrations, contact tracing, health conditions and quarantine compliance are aggregated, transformed and processed to generate insights.

In addition to rich visualizations, this data has been successfully used in forecasting peak infection times and modeling the optimal infrastructure augmentation and distribution by the State. In essence, the dashboard has enabled Odisha to stay ahead of the virus and save lives.

MY HOPE AND PROMISE

In this column you can find simple truth that ultimately, we are in control of our lives by virtue of the choices we make and how we respond to events, even though at times it seems we have little or no control over what is happening to us. It's easy, especially the past two-years, to lose sight of that truth when we are embroiled in events happening all around us like the loss of a loved one or friend, health issues, career challenges and financial setbacks. It's hard at times to see the path we need to follow amidst all the obscurities. My aim is to give insights and hope through stories like the above that just maybe can not only give you a more objective view of circumstances but also help guide us to the path on which we need to be.

About MARK D. DEMERS

Mark Demers leads an expert global team of industry practice directors, industry marketing, principal industry consultants and thought leaders that drive vision and product direction, messaging and support sales for Industry-centered SAS products and solutions. Mark and his team work closely with SAS’ customers, sales, Partners, R&D, and technical staff around the world, to position, market and sell SAS solutions for Government, Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Energy, and Education and Communications sectors using analytics.

SAS is the world leader in analytics. It’s internationally recognized for providing an innovative, supportive workplace that blends different backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and cultures from almost 60 countries around the world where all ideas are encouraged, and everyone is respected for their unique contributions and abilities. SAS’ employees empower, encourage and inspire women to pursue excellence in STEM and their careers and fulfillment in their personal lives. Employees are encouraged to expand professional networks, showcase thought leaders and attract women to careers in science and technology.

Demers’ decades of management experience include executive positions at several public and private companies prior to SAS. Mark serves as Board member for an emerging innovative Company – Visual Farms, audaciously inspired to help strike out world hunger. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University.

Phone: +1-919-601-9756 Email: Mark.Demers@SAS.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin. com/in/markddemers