Mining the Talk: Unlocking the Business Value in Unstructured Information (IBM Press) (Paperback)

by Scott Spangler (Author), Jeffrey Kreulen (Author)
Key Phrases: unstructured information, innovation mining, taxonomy editing, Mining the Talk, Unlocking the Business Value, Mining Customer Interactions (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Leverage Unstructured Data to Become More Competitive, Responsive, and Innovative

 

In Mining the Talk, two leading-edge IBM researchers introduce a revolutionary new approach to unlocking the business value hidden in virtually any form of unstructured data–from word processing documents to websites, emails to instant messages.

 

The authors review the business drivers that have made unstructured data so important–and explain why conventional methods for working with it are inadequate. Then, writing for business professionals–not just data mining specialists–they walk step-by-step through exploring your unstructured data, understanding it, and analyzing it effectively.

 

Next, you’ll put IBM’s techniques to work in five key areas: learning from your customer interactions; hearing the voices of customers when they’re not talking to you; discovering the “collective consciousness” of your own organization; enhancing innovation; and spotting emerging trends. Whatever your organization, Mining the Talk offers you breakthrough opportunities to become more responsive, agile, and competitive.

 

• Identify your key information sources and what can be learned about them
• Discover the underlying structure inherent in your unstructured information
• Create flexible models that capture both domain knowledge and business objectives
• Create visual taxonomies: “pictures” of your data and its key interrelationships
• Combine structured and unstructured information to reveal hidden trends, patterns, and relationships
• Gain insights from “informal talk” by customers and employees
• Systematically leverage knowledge from technical literature, patents, and the Web
• Establish a sustainable process for creating continuing business value from unstructured data

 

Preface xv

Acknowledgements xx

 

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Chapter 2: Mining Customer Interactions 21

Chapter 3: Mining the Voice of the Customer 71

Chapter 4: Mining the Voice of the Employee 93

Chapter 5: Mining to Improve Innovation 111

Chapter 6: Mining to See the Future 133

Chapter 7: Future Applications 163

Appendix: The IBM Unstructured Information Modeler Users Manual 171

 

About the Author

W. Scott Spangler

IBM Research Division, Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, CA 95120 (email: [e-mail]; ph. 408-927-2887)

Scott Spangler is a Senior Technical Staff Member who has been doing knowledge base and data mining research for the past 20 years–since 1996 at the IBM Research Lab and previously at the General Motors Technical Center, where he won the prestigious “Boss” Kettering award (1992) for technical achievement. He currently works in IBM Almaden Services Research, where he designs and implements new methodologies for data visualization and text mining. Mr. Spangler holds a B.S. degree in math from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.A. in computer science from the University of Texas.

 

Jeffrey T. Kreulen

IBM Research Division, Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, CA 95120 (email: [e-mail])

Dr. Kreulen is Senior Manager of Services Oriented Technologies and Senior Technical Staff Member at the IBM Almaden Research Center. He holds a B.S. degree in applied mathematics (computer science) from Carnegie-Mellon University, and an M.S. degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in computer engineering from Pennsylvania State University. Since joining IBM in 1992, he has worked on multiprocessor systems design and verification, operating systems, systems management, web-based service delivery, integrated text and data analysis, and the science of services.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: IBM Press; 1 edition (July 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132339536
• ISBN-13: 978-0132339537
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #591,213 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and insightful, August 4, 2007

By	Conor O'MAHONY (Belmont, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A very interesting and well-written book about an emerging technology that is sure to revolutionize many solutions. The authors do a great job of explaining complex concepts in very easy-to-understand language. A healthy number of examples help make this book a quick and informative read. The authors reveal not only details about the technology, but also about their methodology for "Mining the Talk". Recommended for anyone interested in unlocking the value in their unstructured information assets.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mining The Talk, August 6, 2007

By	William H. Barber - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The authors directed the book primarily to the business and engineering fields. However, their writing is easily comprehended and does not require an extensive knowledge of data mining and analysis. Thus the book should prove useful in other fields including, but not limited to research in education and the social sciences.

This interesting book should prove valuable as supplemental text in college and university courses, as well as a stand-alone reference for persons involved with obtaining and using data.

William H. Barber
Professor Emeriti
Midwestern State University

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mining the Talk - and explaining it to non-IT professionals, March 8, 2008

By	L. J. Joseph - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The authors have created a highly readable, yet technically comprehensive, work about a topic of critical importance in the current marketplace. As an IT professional frequently faced with convincing non-IT colleagues of the importance of technology in industry, this book is just the kind of tool needed. It presents a solution that is ingenious and innovative, and has direct practical application to current business problems. I can think of many immediate uses in my industry and the straightforward presentation, with clear examples, practically sells the concept of mining unstructured data by itself. It makes the job of communicating important, complex concepts to decision-makers who often have no IT background almost easy! Especially for large to medium-sized corporations struggling with basic data management, and missing huge opportunities for discovering the value hidden in their data, this book will be enormously important.

Linda J. Joseph, PhD
ME Technology
General Motors Corporation