Assignment 3 - Researching Emerging Technology - Joshua Olvera

In today's blog, I thought we'd discuss an emerging automotive technology that will do those of us living in Michigan a world of good - pothole mitigation systems.

Technology -  Pothole Mitigation System 

Organization - Ford Motor Company 

Description - From a high level, Ford's Pothole Mitigation System:

Uses signals from 12 high-resolution sensors, the car’s onboard computer is able to analyze when the edge of a pothole has been detected. In milliseconds, it adjusts the dampers to their stiffest setting, preventing the wheel from sinking as far into the pothole and taking as brutal a hit as it normally would. The computer is then able to prepare the rear suspension to react to the pothole even faster (Schreiber, 2017).

Source: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/02/ford-uses-continuously-controlled-damping-take-shock-damage-potholes/ 

Development of the Concept – The pothole mitigation system was an idea that came about as an extension of our existing Continuously Controlled Dampening System (CCDS). The original CCDS has been available for a few years in Ford vehicles (and for several years in luxury cars.) The premise of a CCDS is to provide the driver a choice of computer controlled suspension settings that can be selected depending on driving conditions. If you own a Lincoln, Ford Expedition, or Ford Explorer – you may be able to select from several different ride settings – including Sport, Comfort, and Normal. Each setting will instantly change the driving characteristics of the car to to suite different needs.

The new Pothole Mitigation System is an elaboration of this concept – except the computer does all the work. Using petabytes of data gathered by Ford’s Data Analytics team (that’s my team) working in tandem with our engineers, we were able to develop programming for the CCDS that allows the computer to work with the vehicles on-board sensor systems to automatically detect and prepare for potholes.

This technology will be available on the upcoming 2017 Ford Fusion Sport – set to launch shortly.

Testing/Validation – While I cannot dive too deeply into our testing and validation processes, I can say that we completed extensive testing using simulated potholed roads at our test track in Dearborn. We also worked with engineers at our facilities in Belgium to further develop the technology for the EU.

Of course, there is no better test case then a Michigan road for Pothole Mitigation technology – so much of our real world tests are conducted on some of Michigan’s worst roads.

In this article from WDIV (Local 4) you can see some of the roads we used for testing (and why). http://www.clickondetroit.com/traffic/tracking-worst-potholes-in-se-michigan-canton-center-road-hall-road-mound-road-merriman-road

Resource Acquisition and Utilization – This particular project worked the way many do across Ford – leveraging internal teams to release something that will provide value to our customers. In this case, some of those teams include: suspension engineering, quality, Road and Track, and of course, Data Analytics.

As the system is an extension of an existing technology, it was developed completely internally at a cost I cannot disclose.

The technology will be deployed to our entire lineup throughout the next couple of years.

Discovery Process – Primarily, my discovery process for this assignment was observation and participation – as my team participated in the foundational development of this system. This project has been an ongoing at Ford.

However, in order to provide the class with additional resources and details that they could further explore, some Internet resources were also included.  

Web 2.0 Tool – As you can hopefully see, I selected Google Blogger as my Web 2.0 Tool of choice for this assignment. Luckily, it is as easy as “point and click” to use – so I don’t believe an instruction sheet is necessary.

Why did I select this tool? It’s easy to use, accessible to everyone, and isn’t just a video tool.

Digital Site Repository – The link to this blog will be posted in available in three locations:

1.) Under the Assignment Submission in BB.

2.) In the dedicated BB Discussion Post for this assignment.

3.) Sent via class-wide email

One Video (It Just Felt Right :-)

As this class loves videos, I couldn't resist adding just one to demonstrate how the system will work: 

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIydAWxEkuk

References:

 Bartkowiak Jr., D. (2017). At a glance: SE Michigan's worst roads for potholes. WDIV. Retrieved 2 April 2017, from http://www.clickondetroit.com/traffic/at-a-glance-se-michigans-worst-roads-for-potholes 

Batrkowiak Jr., D. (2017). Tracking worst potholes in SE Michigan: Canton Center Road, Hall Road, Mound Road, Merriman Road. WDIV. Retrieved 2 April 2017, from http://www.clickondetroit.com/traffic/tracking-worst-potholes-in-se-michigan-canton-center-road-hall-road-mound-road-merriman-road

Schreiber, R. (2017). Ford Develops Suspension Tech to Reduce Pothole Damage. The Truth About Cars. Retrieved 2 April 2017, from http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/02/ford-uses-continuously-controlled-damping-take-shock-damage-potholes/

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/02/ford-uses-continuously-controlled-damping-take-shock-damage-potholes/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIydAWxEkuk

Changing Company Culture – Module 13

One of the things that draws me to GMI over the myriad of other companies that I’ve received offers from is the company culture. It is open, accepting, and encourages communication, growth, and learning. Honestly, I am proud to say that I am a GMI employee, and I absolutely love, (and am passionate about) what I do.

While GMI doesn't classify web analyst as an official role (they’re cast under the wider umbrella of software developer/analyst), I have no doubt that everyone involved – including our CIO Mike Martiny, and CMO Mark Addicks – are more than appreciable to what those people tell them. They are both incredibly receptive, forward thinking guys – and to them, every opinion matters.

Part of what makes our company culture function so well is that we are accepting of the data – and we measure almost everything. From the trending changes to the average age of the Lucky Charms buyer, to the happiness of our employees at work – everything is measured, constantly.

Throughout this course, I got a chance to see just how complex some of the things we measure really are, why we do them, and how that helps us become a better, more responsive organization.

Honestly, our company is so data driven, that I question whether there would be three things I could recommend. However – nothing is without improvement – so rather than recommend new measurements, here are three measurements / processes I might enhance:

    1.     Allow BU’s to count CI hours repeatedly rather than once a FY.

a.     For example, if I develop an automation process that saves the company 12,000 man-hours every year, I am only allowed to count that savings toward my BU’s CI once – and never again.

    

    2.     Inventory and measure our sever disk space and growth in such a way that we can automate the growth process.

    3.     Provide employees with evaluations both at mid-year, and years end in order to give them a sense of their objectives / current status.

In the end, I’m glad that GMI fosters data, openness, and collaboration – it’s part of what makes this company (and my job) great.

Hiring Analysts – Module 13

For this post, I chose a gentleman I know of through a friend at GMI named Earle Richards. Earle is a Digital Media Analyst for A&E, and he does what we’ve been discussing in this class for a living.

See Earle’s LinkedIn here:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/earlerichardsjr

As you can see, Earle has extensive experience in the field of Digital Marketing. He has served in both consultant and senior corporate roles, and has experience with Omniture, Cognos, and more.

Personally, I think Earle’s qualifications speak for themselves in many ways. To ensure that he would be a good fit for the position, I would both want to gauge his analytical thought processes by asking him questions that assess his ability to size up a situation – something like:  In situation X, what would you do and why?

Additionally, I would want to see if he had any implementation recommendations and why.

In the end, I feel that Earle would be an excellent candidate for the position based on his extensive experience, skills, and knowledge.

Web Analytics Jobs – Module 13

For this post, I chose a job posted on Monster.com with the company Vanguard – an investment management company.

You can find the full details of the job here:  http://jobview.monster.com/Web-Analytics-Implementation-Manager-digital-intelligence-Job-Malvern-PA-116722299.aspx

I chose this job because it seems as though it would allow the candidate to interact with the business, while maintaining a wealth of technical knowledge and prowess. (Much like my current job). I also liked the fact that the company doesn't list a myriad of platform specific skills – which could mean either 1.) They haven’t the slightest idea what to do in terms of analytics, or 2.) They’re open to suggestion and interpretation as to the best way to proceed.

Some of the qualifications (skills) mentioned in the job posting include:

    1.     Proficiency with Microsoft Office; experience with Business Objects, Cognos, SQL and SAS   preferable.

'   2.     Strong analytical skills coupled with the ability to form hypotheses and draw meaningful insights from disparate data sources.

    3.     Past experience with WebTrends, Adobe SiteCatalyst, IBM Coremetrics, Comscore Digital Analytix, Google Analytics or other simlar tools required. Proficiency with SQL, HTML and Javascript will be essential.

In order to make myself more attractive to this position, I would:

    1.     Cite my experience gained through interacting with the GMI employees that have helped me apply material from this course to real world projects – including introducing me to Adobe SC.

    

    2.     Cite my experience performing analytics for small businesses for the past several years.

    3.     Show off my analytical prowess by showing Vangard some of the automation processes I’ve created for GMI (process analysis requires you to know something end-to-end – an immensely valuable skill in any sort of implementation role.

All in all, I think this would be a great position for me – as I have much of the experience, many of the technical qualifications, and a definite level of interest. To be completely honest, though, I don't think I’ll be leaving GMI anytime soon (I love my job! J)