{"468141":{"#nid":"468141","#data":{"type":"news","title":"At Georgia Tech, the Objective of Analytics Is to Support Decision-Making","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022WordSection1\u0022\u003EBy Gary Goettling\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022WordSection1\u0022\u003EAnalytics is attracting a great deal of attention in the business world these days, and no one knows that better than Joel Sokol, the Fouts Family Associate Professor at the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial \u0026amp; Systems Engineering (ISyE) at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022WordSection1\u0022\u003ESokol also serves as director of Georgia Tech\u2019s new interdisciplinary Master of Science degree in Analytics, which graduated its first class this past August.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022WordSection1\u0022\u003E\u201cWe couldn\u2019t advertise the degree until it was formally approved by the Board of Regents, and that happened in late May last year,\u201d says Sokol. \u201cSo we missed the entire application season, which usually happens in the fall and spring. We were hoping we could scrape up 20 people to put this class together, but we got about 80 applications in just a few weeks. We accepted 44 outstanding applicants. All but three students enrolled, with a couple students deferring their admission, so we started with 39.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022WordSection1\u0022\u003EWord got out. The current class, which started in August 2015, drew more than 400 applicants, from which a class of 47 was selected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022WordSection1\u0022\u003EThese numbers reveal a growing interest in analytics among businesses and organizations as a way to analyze and interpret the data they acquire. At ISyE, where analytics has been central to its educational mission for many years, this interest is reflected not only in the number of applications to the new master\u2019s program, but also in analytics research into contemporary problems and a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum that includes Senior Design projects for undergraduate seniors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 class=\u0022WordSection1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is analytics?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022WordSection1\u0022\u003EThe basic definition of analytics is the extraction of meaningful information from data. At ISyE, this definition goes a key step further.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor us, analytics is not only the techniques to process data and extract information from data or even the knowledge obtained from data,\u201d says Martin Savelsbergh, James C. Edenfield chair and professor. \u201cIt is also how you can use that information or knowledge to improve business processes or make better decisions.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAnalyzing data per se is not what people are after,\u201d he adds. \u201cIn the end, you want to use what you learn from data to be better at something, and being better at something usually means that you make better decisions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESavelsbergh points out that the ability to collect, store, and manipulate data has grown exponentially over the years, along with sophisticated techniques and algorithms for analyzing it. But more data in and of itself isn\u2019t necessarily the right objective.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere can be data overload, he says, citing an actual example of a trucking company that outfitted its vehicles with GPS and two-way communication so as to better keep track of its fleet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEvery five minutes the company gets updated information from each truck regarding the time it is estimated to arrive at the distribution center. At one point, a signal is received that says a particular truck is expected in one and a half hours. Five minutes later the \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;signal says the truck is expected in one hour and 40 minutes. Five minutes after that the signal says the truck will arrive in an hour and 45 minutes \u2014 and so on.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cIs this really very useful information?\u201d Savelsbergh asks. \u201cWhat are you going to do with that information? Certainly the people at the trucking company don\u2019t know what to do with it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile conceding that more information is generally better than less information, one must be careful to avoid collecting data simply for its own sake.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou want to process, analyze, and understand the data \u2014 maybe understand trends \u2014 but whatever it is you\u2019re looking for in the data, you want to be sure it helps you make better decisions about something.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EM.S. in Analytics follows an interdisciplinary approach\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe practical, decision-enabling orientation of analytics at ISyE is evident in the new master\u2019s program as well, which includes an applied analytics practicum at the end of the one-year program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGraduate analytics degree programs are relatively uncommon in the U.S., and the majority of those that do exist are part of a particular college or school.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOurs is one of the handful that\u2019s interdisciplinary,\u201d says Sokol. \u201cIt\u2019s a joint program among the College of Engineering, the College of Computing, and the Scheller College of Business.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cStudents get an interdisciplinary core that covers a full range of analytics topics, and then they pick a track to get a deeper specialization. Each of the tracks is aligned with one of the three units. We have an analytical tools track that includes additional statistics, and ML and OR predictive and decision modeling material. Students who opt for the business analytics track get a deeper understanding of the practice of developing and executing analytics projects within businesses. In the computational data analytics track, students get additional depth in acquiring, managing, analyzing, and visualizing data.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother unusual feature is that half or more of the 10 courses that students take are electives, which allows them to tailor their degree to fit their personal career interest.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThey may take courses in specific areas so they can perform the right \u0026nbsp;kind of analysis for whatever industry they want to go into,\u201d Sokol elaborates. \u201cFor example, if they want to do analytics in the hospitality industry, they might take electives on pricing \u0026nbsp;and revenue management, Web search and text mining, and optimization so they could capture and analyze data such as from TripAdvisor and, then use the results to suggest improved pricing policies.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe broad applicability of analytics is reflected in the diverse backgrounds of the program\u2019s applicants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe majority of them come in with degrees in business, engineering, math, statistics, or computer science, but \u0026nbsp;we also get people with degrees in psychology, anthropology, astrophysics, linguistics, religion \u2014 a whole range of backgrounds,\u201d Sokol notes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA variety of job experience is represented as well, with about 60 percent of applicants having had some previous employment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheir resumes run the gamut from just a few years of post-bachelor\u2019s degree work experience to positions as lead product engineers and corporate vice presidents. One applicant had spent the past few years in the U.S. Navy aboard a nuclear submarine, according to Sokol.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Analytics helps undergraduates solve problems\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen an Atlanta-area hospital wanted to cut wait time and provide more accurate wait-time estimates for its emergency room patients, it sought help from a group of Georgia Tech industrial engineering undergraduate students who took on the assignment as their Senior Design project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESenior projects are an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum, says Sokol, who supervises the program each fall. \u201cAt the end of their time at Georgia Tech, students form groups and carry out real industrial engineering projects for companies and organizations that need their help. A lot of what they do involves analytics, but at the undergraduate level.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;Back at the hospital, the team of six students observed emergency room operations over several months. They collected and analyzed data on patient arrivals and conditions as well as the amount of time taken to be seen by nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff. The students then used statistical techniques to model the emergency room system in a simulated environment, and devised process-improvement recommendations that would reduce wait time without changing the quality or quantity of care. They also developed a real-time simulation tool that helps the hospital give entering patients a more accurate estimate of their wait time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther examples of senior capstone projects reveal the wide applicability of analytics and include delivery routing and logistics for supply chain design, pricing for hotels and parking, race strategy for a motor sports team, and the timing of trains and railcar sequencing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, student teams have worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on various aspects of their response to the Ebola outbreak, and improvements to the organ transplant system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EAnalytics can improve medical decision-making\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EData analytics research conducted at ISyE explores innovative new methodologies and techniques for analyzing data across a spectrum of applications, from energy and finance to supply chains and sports.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut no other area affects the quality of daily life for more people than their health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EArriving at the best medical and health care decisions relies heavily on data, says Nicoleta Serban, Coca-Cola Associate Professor of ISyE. \u201cWe are interested in finding ways to capture and analyze data to optimize the decision-making process in health care.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer work extends into the arena of public health as well, where policymakers need data-driven conclusions to help them make effective problem-solving decisions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESerban is co-founder and co-leader, along with Harold R. and Mary Anne Nash Professor Julie Swann, of the Health Analytics Group. Its mission is to provide a foundation for better medical decisions by applying mathematical and computational modeling techniques to health services research data and health economics data.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the challenges of health care analytics is that it may deal with so-called Big Data \u2014 huge data sets measured in terabytes and exabytes \u2014 but not always.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe quality of data is a more important consideration than the volume of data,\u201d Serban says. \u201cThe key term is \u2018decision-making\u2019 \u2014 that data is captured and analyzed for the purpose of making better decisions. Sometimes this involves Big Data, and sometimes it involves very little data.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Health Analytics Group\u2019s wide-ranging research interests address both traditional and emerging health analytics models, including:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDesigns for telemedicine interventions that improve health care access or balance cost and equity.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELogistics efficiencies that address patient flow at clinics or hospitals, the scheduling of medical residents and staffing of nurse call centers, and disaster-response planning.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDecision support tools to help health care providers schedule catch-up vaccinations for children and adults or to optimize radiation treatment for tumors.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EStatistical techniques to help clinicians identify patients with the greatest risk for nonconvulsive epileptic seizures.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEvaluations and recommendations to inform public policy such as the effects of school closures during an influenza pandemic, identifying areas with the highest levels of childhood obesity, quantifying the status quo of health care service utilization and pathways, interventions to treat or prevent disease, and the analysis of health-related expenditures.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne example of a specific research initiative is the group\u2019s ongoing study of pediatric asthma.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAsthma \u2014 the second most common reason for pediatric emergency room visits in Georgia \u2014 impairs quality of life and contributes significantly to health care costs, particularly for emergency room visits and hospitalizations, many of which are preventable. These costs are especially burdensome to children from low-income households.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur immediate objective is to describe underlying asthma care pathways for children in the Medicaid program,\u201d Serban explains. \u201cFor each pathway, we evaluate utilization and costs to suggest potential policy and network interventions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDesigning interventions with the greatest impact on patients with limited resources begins with the creation of an asthma care baseline.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want to quantify a set of measures around pediatric asthma for the Medicaid population,\u201d she notes. \u201cOur initial baseline includes things related to outcomes and costs, and for geographical areas and subpopulations within the state of Georgia.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBaseline data would include many of the complicating factors in treating pediatric asthma such as age, severity of the condition, and environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, there are different levels of asthma care to consider, from doing nothing to obtaining care from a primary care physician or asthma specialist, or visiting the emergency room.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUsing retrospective Medicaid claims data, our research spans multiple directions,\u201d she says. \u201cIn addition to the set of baseline measures for asthma care, we\u2019re interested in linking access to outcomes, and identifying trends in care utilization and cost.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUltimately, our goal is to design policy and network interventions to improve health outcomes and access for people with limited resources.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003ESpreading the word\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIndustrial engineers are problem solvers, which is why analytics is considered an engineering discipline.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re not concerned with building or designing physical objects,\u201d says Savelsbergh. \u201cWe\u2019re interested in processes and in finding ways to improve the performance of businesses and organizations.\u201d Thus, analytics is a natural fit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere are still a lot of people who are trying to understand what is meant \u0026nbsp;by analytics,\u201d he continues, \u201cand this gives us an opportunity to interact with organizations either in government or private industry to not only talk about what we do in analytics, but to emphasize our belief that its goal is to improve decision-making.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cWe have been doing analytics for a long time -- and we\u0027re very good at it.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Analytics at Georgia Tech takes a multi-disciplinary approach."}],"uid":"28766","created_gmt":"2015-11-10 11:35:28","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:58","author":"Shelley Wunder-Smith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"471271":{"id":"471271","type":"image","title":"Analytics at Georgia Tech","body":null,"created":"1449257176","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:16","changed":"1475895220","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:40","alt":"Analytics at Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"203910","name":"analytics.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/analytics_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/analytics_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":90711,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/analytics_0.jpg?itok=-ztHgwa8"}}},"media_ids":["471271"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7251","name":"analytics"},{"id":"145671","name":"M.S. in Analytics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStewart School of Industrial \u0026amp; Systems Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404.385.4745\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["shelley.wunder-smith@isye.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}