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think-cell Software Releases Version 12 With New PowerPoint Enhancements

BERLIN, Germany – 9th March 2023 – The leading productivity software, think-cell, is rolling out its latest upgrade, which offers significant enhancements that empower users with better control, connection, and data visualization. think-cell 12 is currently available for all customers through the customer portal as well as to prospective customers through the free think-cell 30-day trial download.

The latest version of think-cell includes more of what customers already love about the software. The addition of profile charts bolsters its ever-expanding portfolio of charts and graphs, and users can expect to see even more from the company built to make PowerPoint better and PowerPoint users more productive.

think-cell 12 enables users to create rotated line charts (profile charts) and rotated combo charts. These charts enable people to tell more compelling stories using data to show the relationships between different types of data and illustrate trends over time. Like all think-cell charts, this more sophisticated visualization of data helps people make better decisions based on the information presented. 

Robin Jung, Head of Product Management with think-cell is excited about what the latest version provides even beyond new charting capabilities, “think-cell 12 is proof that a series of small enhancements can make a big difference. From linking Harvey balls, checkboxes, and images to data in Excel to aligning think-cell elements on a page, think-cell continues to shave hours off your day while making every presentation work harder.”

With this latest release, users can now select individual partitions in the bubble and scatter charts directly while also applying a different fill color for each. This enhancement makes it simple to highlight the data in multiple quadrants to better distinguish what trends and insights are most important in your presentation.  

On top of this, the latest software version allows users to edit the data layout of its internal datasheet and links to Excel. For users looking to link a chart to an existing Excel worksheet without modifying the layout, think-cell’s editable data layout feature is highly beneficial. Jung added, “think-cell provides even more value when using Excel linking capabilities, as customers can now highlight all linked elements in their PowerPoint presentations, which is a level of insight that up until now has not been possible.”

With its latest PowerPoint enhancements, think-cell is committed to evolving as a formidable player in the Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel add-in market. Jung sees the latest release as a significant milestone for think-cell, “We have an extremely stable product with millions of users around the world. We are going to continue to build on this foundation to ensure that customers are not only more productive, but also can move business forward by accelerating the myriad of decisions that surround the presentation process.”

About think-cell

Founded in Berlin in 2002, think-cell is the de facto standard for creating professional presentations in PowerPoint. With productivity tools and support for 40+ chart types, 9 of the top 10 global consulting firms rely on think-cell, it’s the software of choice for the Fortune 500 and taught at 9 of the top 10 business schools.  

To learn more about think-cell and download a fully functional 30-day trial version, please visit https://www.think-cell.com 

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Business Computers & Software Technology Transportation & Logistics World

Aramtec Adopts RISE with SAP and S/4HANA to Accelerate Digital Transformation

One of the longest-established foodservice businesses in Dubai, Arabian American Technologies Co. (Aramtec), is reportedly adopting RISE with SAP and S/4HANA.

The company has curated a year-long strategy—Project Phoenix—as part of its effort to facilitate the implementation of RISE with SAP and S/4HANA and transform it into a fully SAP-powered Intelligent Enterprise, according to Intelligent CIO.

RISE with SAP and S/4HANA

For SAP enterprises operating their SAP workloads on the cloud or on-premise, RISE with SAP helps streamline business processes for workflow efficiency while unifying cost and business goals with the OPEX-based cost model.

Enabling businesses to use a range of SAP tools, RISE with SAP expands the value SAP delivers beyond ERP functionality to holistic business value.

On the other hand, S/4HANA allows SAP enterprises to shift and modernise to the cloud and leverage the in-memory database technology. 

That being said, SAP S/4HANA is not competitive with or separate from RISE with SAP—it’s one of the six primary offerings included in RISE’s bundled solutions.

For companies looking to accelerate business agility and digital transformation, adopting RISE with SAP or S/4HANA is a sensible decision. 

On top of that, with SAP ECC mainstream support phasing out in 2027, enterprises are quickly migrating to SAP S/4HANA. 

Even though these technologies help drive business value, assimilating new systems requires enterprises to invest in SAP consulting services like Protera. With operational support and strategic guidance, SAP consulting services help SAP-focused companies make the most of their investment.

Aramtec’s Move to SAP

The increasing need for improved visibility, scalability, and control over supply chain operations is pushing enterprises toward cloud deployments. As part of its effort to become digitally empowered and transform into a cloud-based company, Aramtec has decided to leverage the innovative systems offered by the leading multinational software company SAP SE. 

The company hopes SAP’s experience in the food industry and supply chain management will help automate and enhance its end-to-end processes of delivering food services to airlines, hotels, restaurants, and various commercial F&B outlets. 

“Our objective is to capitalise on the digitisation and automation benefits of technology to run our business more smoothly and to optimise our productivity and efficiency. We are set to achieve greater visibility and control over all areas of Aramtec’s operations as well as our complex supply chain and distribution network, as we have more than 2000 stock-keeping units, SKUs distributed to thousands of customers,” stated Edgard Chalhoub, General Manager of Aramtec. “Ultimately, Aramtec will have the capacity to respond quickly to our customers’ needs and changes in the supply chain environment.”

Zakaria Haltout, Managing Director of SAP UAE, went on to say, “The commitment Aramtec has made to becoming an SAP-designated Intelligent Enterprise means it is aligned with regional digital transformation plans while enhancing the services it delivers to existing and new-market customers. By leveraging SAP’s cloud-based S, 4HANA, Aramtec will benefit from the latest SAP technologies and updates. It will enjoy precise stock control and record keeping, 360-degree views of all operations, automation of business processes, reduced total cost of ownership, and the ability to manage business change and scale operations rapidly.”

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Business Computers & Software Technology U.K U.S

Olive AI to Divest its Second Business Line; Plans to Focus on Health System RCM

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Healthcare automation service Olive AI is reportedly planning for the sell-off of its utilisation management service line. 

Utilisation Management is the company’s prior customer-facing authorisation system with solutions that accelerate the manual operations in GreenLight laser treatment.

The divestiture is part of this Columbus-based tech unicorn’s effort to centre its focus on administrative automation for healthcare, according to THE BUSINESS JOURNALS.

“Earlier this month, [CEO Sean Lane] announced that Olive would no longer be offering UM solutions to allow the company to strengthen its core area of focus, building automation and intelligence technology for health systems that make their revenue cycle operate more effectively and efficiently,” according to a spokesperson from Olive AI.

Why Divest Now??

Sean Lane, co-founder and CEO of Olive AI, blamed tough economic headwinds for the divestiture. The CEO also mentioned that the Columbus health IT business made mistakes when it was in high-growth mode.

In an all-staff memo published on February 09, 2023, the CEO shed light on the substantial and unexpected shortfall in the capital plan now facing the company, two years after it brought in around USD 400M to turbocharge the growth of ‘humanised’ AI for healthcare.

“In our current position, we cannot make the necessary investments to be successful in transforming both Autonomous Revenue Cycle and Utilisation Management journeys for our customers,” Lane said in the memo. “We must prioritise and direct our critical resources toward Olive’s established strengths.”

“This means a return to our core area of focus: building automation and intelligence technology for health systems that make their revenue cycle operate more effectively and efficiently.”

Consequences of the Carve-out Transaction on Employees

According to the memo, Olive AI Inc. is set to lay off 215 employees as it seeks to eke out growth by cutting costs and shifting the focus to its core product lines. The recent reduction in staff comprises around 35% of its workforce, leaving approximately 630 staffers.

This declaration of workforce reduction came on Thursday, February 2, 2022. In July 2022, the company cut around 450 staff who accounted for 31% of the total workforce. 

However, the Columbus company refused to provide any further details on the specifics of the equity carve-out—such as the approximate time and size of the division, prospective buyers, etc.

According to the notice filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, in order to notify receivers of the upcoming cut in workforce, the layoff would involve a total of 209 positions, including an EVP (executive vice president) and some senior staff.

“I know this is not easy news to hear,” Lane stated. “I regret that we are in this position, and I apologise for the impact it will have on the lives of our team members. I’d like to express my gratitude for everything you’ve done to make an impact in healthcare.”

The company is committed to keeping the customers and the remaining staffer updated on the details of the transaction as it takes shape. 

In October 2022, Olive divested its population health and $340B product lines to sister company Rotera, as two of its customers had ceased doing business with Olive. 

Overcoming Divestiture Challenges

Irrespective of the size of the division, carving out the equity of a company is a complex task that requires an effort in coordination to be successful. 

For companies looking to ensure a seamless divestiture with minimum business disruption, investing in a high-end carve-out service like Fission Consulting is a sensible decision. 

A class-leading service helps clients evade uncertainty while also accelerating the timeline.

Wrapping Up

The CEO of Olive AI hopes the divestiture would help the company defy the current economic downturn by enabling the employees to focus more on strengthening Olive’s core services and product lines. 

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Computers & Software Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Science Technology

Data Capture in Laboratories: Exploring the Barriers and Ways to Overcome Them

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Substantial investments should be made in strategising and combining data from a set of instruments in order to turn a medley of free-floating data points into a coherent, integrated message. 

With that said, failing to automate data collection and standardisation via instrument integration is the biggest bottleneck that causes substantial lag in laboratory operations. 

In a recent article published in European Pharmaceutical Review, Samantha Kanza, a senior enterprise fellow at the University of Southampton, sheds light on the leading challenges of adopting digital technologies in the laboratory data collection process and how to overcome them. 

What Is Data Integration?

Data integration means accumulating datasets from multiple sources and equipment and merging them to get a unified view.

Data integration across the value chain—from discovery all the way through production to commercialisation—is critical to strengthening decision-making. 

Even though the massive troves of data a laboratory generates are a great asset, most of it remains unexploited due to failure to connect data and processes.

Leading Data Integration Challenges

The researcher underscores the lack of data standardisation and data standard saturation as two major roadblocks to laboratory data integration. 

Inconsistent datasets, proprietary data formats, and a lack of compatible instruments are a few of the many barriers worth mentioning.

Let’s dive deeper into the issues with proprietary data formats: 

One of the key aspects of successful data integration is to have all datasets from all sources in the same format (or at least convertible into a single format). 

However, in many cases, data attributes in two different sources may conceptually convey the same information, but the datasets are in two different formats, which are sometimes difficult to convert into a desired format. 

These lexical and structural disparities in datasets may cause unfixable errors or even data loss if data gets integrated without standardising or cleaning.

The Solution

Overcoming data standard issues is paramount to enabling a fully integrated and digitally interconnected laboratory.

The research fellow at the University of Southampton advises laboratories to carefully evaluate the software programs they would leverage while generating data and the file formats these systems support. 

On the other hand, software providers should also ensure their programs don’t use intricate proprietary formats that could hinder data integration, sharing, and reuse.

According to Dr. Kanza, researchers must be provided with specific guidelines on the standard process of data structure to efficiently evade the risk of data inconsistencies. 

On top of that, all datasets generated directly from the instruments should include metadata to ensure effective utilisation.

Electronic Systems Adoption Barriers

For laboratories looking to accelerate their R&D, using Laboratory Information Management Software (LIMS) or Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) as the core part of their research activities is critical. 

Besides enabling instrument integrations for automatic data capture, ELN or LIMS helps automate workflows and ensure efficient management of samples and associated data. 

The result: streamlined operations and quick recognition of bottlenecks across experiments leading to substantially improved efficiency

Despite all the benefits, the adoption of electronic systems in labs has been slow.

Let’s flesh out the reasons:

First off, transitioning away from familiar methods to use a new system may seem challenging for some researchers.

“Whether rightly or wrongly, researchers don’t necessarily trust ELN systems, particularly if they are in the cloud…While trust is important, some of this comes down to a lack of education and understanding on data security coupled with some learned behaviour that needs to be addressed,” explained Dr. Kanza.

Secondly, the scepticism of lab operators about the security of the stored data in cloud-based LIMS or ELN is another leading reason behind the slow adoption rate of LIMS. 

Thirdly, even though digital systems help labs streamline the data capture and management processes, the greatest concern arises when labs aim to leverage these digital systems in their daily operations. The full ELN/LIMS adoption requires buy-in from everyone involved. For some users, the learning curve may seem steeper. 

Overcoming the Electronic System Adoption Challenges

For laboratories looking to address the above challenges and centralise data once siloed in multiple systems to turbocharge their R&D efforts, cashing in on a high-end digital lab notebook like Sapio Sciences is a sensible decision. 

A class-leading ISO-certified system ensures top-notch data security while also offering easy training so that users can get the hang of it in a short time.

On top of that, some high-end integrated LIMS-ELN systems offer automated data capture from instruments via integration that helps minimise experimental redundancy. 

Plus, these systems foster decision-making by enabling interactive visualisation of all data points.

However, digitally transforming a laboratory needs a complete overhaul of lab culture, a change of attitude, and a willingness to learn. 

Besides, before investing in a system, laboratories should evaluate the disparities between the system and their laboratory requirements. Through careful vendor evaluation, they can choose the most profitable compromise between the features offered by a seller and a fully customizable solution. 

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Business Computers & Software Marketing & Sales Media & Communications U.S

How a Young Woman Started a $9,500-a-Month Business Selling Digital Products on Etsy

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Etsy is a popular store designed to sell products that people have created themselves. When you think of it, you’re more likely to think of handmade jewellery, knitted or crocheted items, paintings, clay modelling stuff, glass items, etc.

You know… trinkets. 

(Can you tell I don’t spend much time on Etsy?)

So, when I came across an article about a woman using her maternity leave to start a $9,500-a-month business on the website, I had to read it.

The first thing that surprised me was that she wasn’t selling those stereotypical products. She was selling printables that she created on Canva.

Rachel Jiminez had a full-time job as the director of alumni engagement at a university. She was also studying on the side—Positive Psychology. Her blog and Etsy store were, in her own words, “side hustles”.

Ms Jiminez explained that her Etsy shop was consistently getting her around $50 a month. She just didn’t have enough time to invest in it. It was when she was on maternity leave with her second child that she started putting work into it. 

In the article, she explains how she built her business.

Tips For Expanding an Etsy Business

According to Ms Jiminez, building her business was a four-step process. Here’s how it started.

Developing the Growth Mindset

When starting your own business, it’s easy to take failure personally. Once you do that, you’ll give up at the first sign of trouble. 

That’s why Ms Jiminez considers the first step of her journey the one where she stopped thinking that she wasn’t good enough and focused on figuring out the problem.

Learning From Others’ Successes

When you’re on a platform like Etsy, you can see how other sellers are performing. Again, it’s likely that you see others doing better than you and feel jealous. 

What Ms Jiminez did with that emotion was to use it to learn from the sellers she perceived as more successful than her.

She says she’d “…study their strategies, devour any podcasts or blog posts they created, and put their tips and recommendations to the test.”

Testing and Tweaking Periodically

No matter how well a strategy works for someone else, it’s possible that isn’t suitable for you in the least. When Ms Jiminez saw a strategy failing to deliver, she’d “try to get helpful data” from her failures.

One of the questions she’d ask is whether it was a marketing problem or a product problem. For example, say she had high volumes of traffic to a product page, but not enough conversions. That told her the product wasn’t appealing enough.

On the other hand, if she didn’t have many people visiting the product page, but those who did ended up buying more often than not? That meant she wasn’t marketing it well.

Considering the Customers’ Needs and Wants

Customers tend to vote with their feet. If they don’t like the product, no matter how well you sell it, they won’t buy it. That’s why Ms Jiminez decided to find out exactly what customers were looking for. 

She says she looked for “clues in Facebook Groups and online forums, noticed what was trending in stores, and used tools like Google Trends and Pinterest Trends.” She even used paid tools, such as eRank.

This research helped her identify the problems her customers wanted to solve, which she then used to design her products.

Why Digital Products?

I discussed this in another article about Digital Products UX Trends in 2023 in greater detail but a digital product is any product that is built, delivered, and consumed online. 

As Ms Jiminez explained, “a digital product can be a PDF, a JPEG image, or even an Excel spreadsheet that you make once and profit from forever.”

Of course, if you’ve read my previous article on digital product trends, you’d know that it also includes other online consumables like audio files, videos, apps, software, templates, plug-ins, and more.

However, the key point is the latter half of her description… make it once and profit from it forever.

A digital product doesn’t need a warehouse (or a workshop cupboard) to be stored in. You don’t need to ship it physically to a customer. You don’t need to build a copy every time someone orders it.

In short, it doesn’t have much overhead.

How Can You Create Your Own Digital Products For Your Business?

In the article, Ms Jiminez says she used Canva to design both her products as well as her listing images. Other people might use Keynote, PowerPoint, PhotoShop, or Illustrator. Others might use Notion, OneNote, or Excel.

Of course, if you wanted to design a digital product that required more technical knowledge, you might need to hire a digital product development company, like Luminos Software.

It would depend on what you want to design and sell. You might want to do your own research to see what customers want and need. Or, you might have a brilliant idea but you aren’t quite sure how to market it.

Hopefully, Rachel Jiminez’s story will inspire you to give it a go and provide you with enough pointers to get you started on your path to success.

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Business Computers & Software Finance Financial Market Technology

Managing API Security Is Essential For the Banking Sector

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I recently saw a headline that reported multiple branch closures by Lloyds, Halifax, and TSB. Personally, it didn’t affect me so I didn’t read the article. 

Why would it? I do my banking on my phone.

And, that’s mainly the reason why banks are closing their seldom used branches—people are banking online and not physically walking into banks.

As someone who prefers living online, I am not here to debate the benefits of high streets and banks. What I do want to talk about is the role of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in modern banking.

According to Express Computer, an Indian IT publication, APIs are spearheading the banking sector’s evolution.

These software programs allow banks to share their data and services with third parties. Third parties, as a result, can improve their services and customer experience.

APIs in Banking

According to the article, banks use APIs both as consumers and publishers.

As consumers, APIs help banks:

  • Automate the customer onboarding process, making it smoother
  • Get real-time information on customer credit-worthiness
  • Make better decisions for loan applications
  • Add value to their core business with investment and financial planning advice
  • Integrate with other services, such as e-commerce stores, and make online payments easier
  • Add other financial products into their range of offerings

As publishers, banks use APIs to reach more customers and diversify their services.

So, yes, the banking sector can thank APIs for a great deal.

However, that brings me to my next point. Since APIs are now an integral part of the banking sector, API security also becomes a larger issue.

I’ve discussed how re-evaluating your cybersecurity stack could help stop API breaches earlier. Then, I came across this post that discusses how identity distribution is essential for modern API security.

What Is Identity Distribution?

APIs enable a network of services that users can access. Once a user is inside that network, from any access point, they can get to any and all information within that network.

Identity distribution is the process of ensuring that the user is authorised to access information, at every point instead of just when they enter.

If you want to think of it in terms of your home security, once a person has entered your house—whether through the front door, back door, or window—they can go through the contents of all your rooms.

Identity distribution is the process of vetting their access and authorization in each room. If they are only allowed to enter the living room, they can’t be let into the master bedroom.

Identity Distribution For API Security in Banking

Identity distribution shouldn’t just take into account who is asking for access. It should also consider the origin of the request, the external application through which the request was sent, and an allow-list of callers.

Unfortunately, this brings up two other issues. 

One, sharing the credentials across the network means everyone who receives those credentials could use them to get the same level of access.

Two, It means distributing the user’s credentials across the network when some of the information might be sensitive. 

In effect, you’re sharing the user’s authorisation credentials (thereby making them available to other services on the network), which also means you’re sharing their information (which could be sensitive).

To mitigate this issue, you’d need proper identity distribution techniques. The technology you use will play a role in how secure the implementation is—that means having a detailed understanding of how your services interact with others and the pathways your users will have to take.

That, in turn, would help determine which services would need what identity data to complete the request.

Additionally, you’d also need to determine what piece of data these services would need to take the authorisation decisions.

Identity Distribution Techniques

Once you know the data that needs to be delivered to other services and who needs it, you can choose from a selection of identity distribution solutions. These can be:

  • Using Transport Layer Security (TLS) end-to-end, even with services within your network, instead of only at the perimeter
  • A locked-down infrastructure, where you control all communications within the network through encrypted connections, and using mutual TLS (mTLS) and frameworks (SPIFFE, Kubernetes) to manage service calls
  • Using established standards like OAuth and JSON web tokens (JWTs) instead of developing your own solutions
  • Using claim-based authorisation instead of using API keys or scopes (because, remember broken authorisation is listed as OWASP’s no.1 API vulnerability, and discussed in an article on API Security Solution by Gravitee.io, the leading API management platform)
  • Using opaque tokens instead of JWTs (which can reveal information to the frontend application or threat actors)
  • Using token-sharing techniques, such as token embedding or token exchanging

As you can see, API security is important across the board, but the banking sector is a bit more high-stakes than others. Whilst a security breach can be devastating regardless, banks are responsible for people’s money and savings. 

Investing in better cybersecurity is not just for them but also for their customers. And, API security is going to be a huge part of it.

Categories
Business Computers & Software Technology U.K U.S

Gantt Charts: Exploring the Applications and the Benefits

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Managing a project, irrespective of its size, comes down to juggling a myriad of tasks, people, and whatnot—a single deadline is missed, and the entire project can go awry, incurring hefty losses and serious repercussions.

For project managers looking to boost their productivity by effectively managing their teams and projects, taking a visual approach to project management is a no-brainer. 

Even though tons of project management methods are available, Gantt charts have long been considered the most effective.

Instead of bogging you down with details, these charts give you a comprehensive visual representation of the tasks, milestones, and deadlines plotted against time.

IntelliPaat has offered a complete breakdown of a Gantt chart to help you get a head start.

But first, let’s elaborate on what a Gantt chart is.

What Is a Gantt Chart

Invented by Henry Gantt, a Gantt chart is, at its core, a pictorial view of a project: the resources involved, the start and end date of the project, how it’s planned to be executed—all laid out in horizontal bars. 

Based on your specific project requirements, you have a wide range of Gantt charts to choose from—such as basic Gantt charts, milestone Gantt charts, resource-loaded Gantt charts, dependency Gantt charts, and more. 

Applications of a Gantt Chart

Since a Gantt chart offers instant insight into a project, users can effortlessly see how it will progress over time. 

A Gantt chart facilitates:

  • Project Planning: Project planners can visualise the building blocks of their projects, thus organising and categorising them into fragmented and more manageable tasks. Plus, tasks can be prioritised for scheduling efficiency.
  • Resource Allocation: Stretching the available resources over too many tasks causes setbacks. With the project timeline in the Gantt chart, project planners can get an instant snapshot of how and where the resources are being used. Besides, a Gantt chart facilitates resource management by enabling project managers to delegate effectively while also aligning resources. As a result, project milestones are more likely to be achieved within the allocated budget and timeframe, ensuring no employee is overworking.
  • Defining Logistics and Task Dependencies: Gantt charts help project managers keep an expert eye on project logistics. In addition, by illustrating dependencies as lines linking two tasks or linking a task to a milestone, they can show when a particular task should start or end in relation to other tasks. For a company running projects in a multi-team environment, this feature can be highly effective. 

The result: Efficient project building and management that keeps measurable (and quick) revenue rolling in the business

Benefits of a Gantt Chart

  • Boost Team Productivity: One of the notable advantages of a Gantt chart is that it facilitates cross-departmental collaboration and brings all involved stakeholders on a single page. On top of that, it helps stakeholders track how a project is progressing in real-time, thus enabling the team to plan their steps ahead of time. Staying aligned on project tasks allows them to bolster business productivity.
  • Set Realistic Deadlines and Expectations: As we have already stated, the Gantt chart visually represents all the tasks and interdependencies comprising a project. Such a cohesive visual representation helps teams set realistic deadlines for each task and ultimately, the entire project.
  • Adjust the Plan in Real-Time: Having insights into the pace at which each task is progressing helps you depict the upcoming delays and roadblocks. This allows you to dodge potential risks or adjust your plans accordingly.

Turbocharge Your Presentation with Gantt Charts

Project managers dealing with massive troves of information frequently create calendar-based Gantt charts in Microsoft Visio or Project and import them into PowerPoint slides. However, the process is time-consuming and gets arduous due to lacking essential features. 

For those who want to create Gantt charts directly in PowerPoint with fewer clicks and less time, leveraging an add-in, such as think-cell, is a sensible decision. Automated Gantt charts, built with high-end software, help create better results—both for your presentation and timeline planning.

Wrapping Up

In short, when it comes to organising a project efficiently, a Gantt chart is second to none. Get the hang of Gantt charts and manage even the most complex project in a breeze. 

Categories
Computers & Software India Technology Transportation & Logistics World

87 Parking Lots in Chandigarh to Get Smart; Tenders to be Floated Soon

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Eighty-seven parking spaces in Chandigarh are set to get revamped as union territory (UT) adviser Dharam Pal directed Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) to float “tenders for smart parking immediately,” reported The Times of India.

A statement on the above concern was released by the Chandigarh administration on February 23, 2023, after the contracts with the two agencies manning those 87 municipal parking lots had expired this January.

UT Adviser Dharam Pal, while interviewed by The Indian Express, said, “Parking is the city’s problem. The administration has faced a lot of flak over the parking issue. A draft of the policy will be placed before the General House of the civic body for discussion. We have merely drawn a draft of new smart parking. We have to become a smart city, and for that, a proposal needs to be made. We prepared a draft, and then it will be placed before the House for discussion. We are all working towards the same goal here, to provide good, smart facilities to the residents of the city.”

On the same day, the Mayor of Chandigarh, Anup Gupta, stated that the General House of the civic body is committed to ensuring the city residents reap the benefits of the smart parking from the first day and soon starting to draft the terms and conditions as per the tender.

“Also, several other issues need to be discussed — like the issue of giving a window of ten or fifteen minutes, whatever is decided, to allow pick-and-drop at these lots,” the Mayor explained.

Smart Parking Features to be Adopted in Chandigarh

The features that are expected to transform the 87 parking lots in the city are:

FASTag-based parking management system

CSCL has demonstrated the plan to introduce a FASTag-based parking management system in Chandigarh. The aim is to move the paid parking spaces to an automatic system wherein most of the toll collected will be cashless, requiring no vehicles to stop. 

Besides FASTags, drivers, however, will have a range of options—such as cash, Paytm, or UPI—while paying their parking charges.

Parking Central Control Centre

All 87 parking lots are set to be connected with the Parking Central Control Centre, Police Command and Control Center (PCCC), and the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) for facilitating monitoring.

The purpose is to ensure the utmost safety of the drivers and vehicles by identifying and minimising incidents—such as tiffs or theft—inside the parking lots.

“The parking management system will be integrated with the Integrated Command and Control Centre of Chandigarh for data analytics and service monitoring,” said Anindita Mitra, CEO of CSCL and commissioner of Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC).

Automated and Single Entry-Exit

A proposal for deploying automated gate control at the entry and exit of the parking lots has also been introduced. An automated entry-exit system will allow authorities to control access by lowering or lifting the boom barrier and stopping vehicles from entering or exiting a parking lot unless authorised. 

On top of that, since vehicle movement will be unidirectional, traffic congestion inside and outside the parking lot will be decreased significantly.

A Parking Management System Application

In order to constantly monitor the availability of each parking lot while also enabling keepers to book slots, the agency handling the city’s smart parking lots would need to use a high-end parking management app. 

The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)

According to the MC commissioner, ANPR cameras will be installed to bring all 87 parking lots under stringent surveillance. 

A cost-effective way to provide consistent data to parking enforcement apps, an ANPR camera helps ensure car parking safety and detect repeat delinquents or target vehicles/block-listed vehicles. 

For a ticketless parking space, installing high-end ANPR surveillance cameras, such as ZatPark, is critical to facilitate vehicle access control. Advanced ANPR technologies ensure a 100% capture rate accuracy under recommended lighting conditions.

Wrapping Up

Since Chandigarh was declared a ‘smart city’ in 2016, the revamp of the city’s parking management system has been long overdue. 

The UT advisor expects to turn 25% of the 87 spaces into smart parking lots within one month of the grant of the contract.

Categories
Computers & Software Finance Law & Legal Services Technology

Legalese Decoder Launches Latest Upgrade to LLM, Doubling Usage Credits on Paid Plans

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vancouver, Canada – Legalese Decoder, the industry leader in legal language translation and analysis, is excited to announce the latest upgrade to its Legalese Language Model (LLM). The upgraded LLM features faster response times and enhanced accuracy in deciphering complex legal language.

In addition to the LLM upgrade, Legalese Decoder is doubling the usage credits on both the Home and Pro paid plans at no extra charge to users. This means that users can now access twice as many credits to simplify and translate their legal documents.

“The latest upgrade to our Legalese Language Model is a testament to our commitment to providing our users with the most advanced and accurate legal language analysis tool available,” said William Tsui, founder at Legalese Decoder. “We understand the challenges that everyday people face when dealing with legal jargon and we are dedicated to empowering them with the tools they need to navigate the legal landscape with confidence.”

The LLM upgrade features a faster response time, enabling users to receive near real-time translations and analysis of complex legal documents. The tool utilizes advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques to identify key terms and concepts and provide plain language definitions.

With the doubling of usage credits on both the Home and Pro paid plans, users can now access even more features and functionality to simplify and translate their legal documents. The Home Plan now includes 40,000 characters credits per month, while the Pro Plan offers 800,000 characters credits per month.

“We are excited to offer our users even more value with the doubling of usage credits on our paid plans,” said Tsui. “Our mission is to provide all the tools needed for everyday people to tackle their legal needs, and this upgrade is just one more way we’re fulfilling that mission.”

Legalese Decoder continues to lead the way in legal language translation and analysis, providing users with the tools they need to simplify complex legal language. With the latest upgrade to the LLM and the doubling of usage credits on paid plans, Legalese Decoder remains committed to empowering everyday people to navigate the legal landscape with confidence.

For more information about Legalese Decoder and its legal language translation and analysis tools, please visit https://legalesedecoder.com/.

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Automotive Computers & Software Finance Technology

How AI Helps Insurance Companies Deliver a Better Experience

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I recently wrote a post about why insurance companies should consider data consolidation. In that article, I discussed how having your business data in one place could help you make better decisions for your business. 

And, at the same time, create a better experience for your customers.

Of course, one might argue that all of that data being streamed into this central “vault” would need to be assessed and analysed to get any value from it.

That’s where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) come into the picture.

Repairer Driven News, a news site for collision repairers, very recently discussed how technology—specifically AI—makes it easier for insurance companies to produce quotes.

Whilst this article discusses auto insurance specifically (given the nature of the publication), what it says is just as easily applicable to other parts of life that require insurance.

Using AI to Calculate Risk

In the past, risk calculations were done manually, based on information provided by the customer. With AI, however, risk calculations can be automated. And, they tend to be more accurate.

Accuracy, as it turns out, is extremely desirable in the world of insurance. That leads to a more logical premium for the customer, which is good for them and the insurance provider.

At the same time, AI is much better at detecting fraud. 

Fraud detection requires pattern detection. And, if the fraud is sophisticated enough, humans might not be able to see that pattern. AI, on the other hand, can and will. 

According to this article by Business News Daily, machine learning algorithms can detect fraudulent claims with a 75% accuracy rate. Of course, as technology evolves, fraudulent schemes will as well. However, all that means is that data scientists will need to keep up so that AI/ML can keep up as well.

Using AI to Calculate Cost

The article discusses how predictive analysis can determine if a vehicle can be repaired or if it should be written off. It can do that based on information such as the year and model of the vehicle, the type of impact, whether the airbags deployed, and so on.

It also talks about how AI heat mapping technologies can identify which areas of the vehicle were damaged.

With all this information at its “fingertips”, AI can very quickly complete an estimate with no additional help.

In the same way, AI could be used to predict risk and come up with personalised quotes for health and medical insurance, home insurance, pet insurance, and more.

Again, with a better understanding of the cost of treatment or reparations, insurance companies can service their customers better.

Using AI to Mitigate Risk

Safety technology in vehicles is reaching a point where cars can safely (well, more or less) drive themselves. While not all vehicles are autonomous, they do have features that can help human drivers operate a little more safely.

Some of these features, such as parking sensors, rear-facing cameras, and lane detection, can also gather information. This information, in turn, can be processed by AI to help drivers make better decisions; better decisions that lead to fewer collisions.

Helping Insurance Companies Harness the Power of AI and Data

Insurance software providers like Zinnia are offering solutions that help businesses make the most of their data. At the same time, these solutions also help them design better products for their customers, giving them the best experience as well.

For example, Zinnia’s life insurance solutions include data consolidation as well as management. This secure “source of truth” can be used by AI to generate better outcomes for everyone.

And, isn’t that what you want for your insurance business?