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by Robert Malone, Contributing Editor   | Abstract: | Supply chain planners and others want to get their hands on information that has traditionally been hidden, but information overload can be the result. |
Being able to see or figure out what is not viewable or open to understanding is a major concern today. We are faced with new challenges in information gathering, and, lacking the capacity or patience to glean the data ourselves, we look to technology to fill in the holes. Scientists are telling us they may soon be able to see the shadow of a black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Here on earth, we have already perfected the art of seeing what isn't visible to the human eye, through technologies such as x-rays and ultrasounds. When we turn our gaze to the business world, we see a similar interest in trying to make out what in fact may be invisible. A manager treats as accurate the information given to him or her from a BI or BAM system. In fact, all of today's computer-driven reports are taken for direct reflections of actual events. And yet the quality of the information is a result of the quality of the system, the events picked, and the tools used, including sensors, bar codes, RFID tags, and reports from salespeople. [Click to continue] |