Big data and risk assessment It all started a few years ago with Google Flu Trends. Looking at correlations between what people were looking for in Google (for example: “flu symptoms”, “bulk Kleenex home delivery”) and the spread of the epidemic. In Google’s own words: “We have found a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. Of course, not every person who searches for “flu” is actually sick, but…
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The CFO of a client of ours, a Swiss Luxury Watches company, called the other day in a panic. He told us: “I have heard from a guy who works in the World Health Organization in Geneva which deals with Health around the World that this year is going to be the year of a severe flu pandemic. I need help in evaluating potential financial impacts due to sick-leaves”. It was not to us to discuss whether the scenario of…
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New flu and Smoky souvenirs The man in front of me was very elegant, had impeccable manners, if only he had been smoking less. His corner office in the Tokyo HQ of his corporation, was indeed slowly delivering to its occupants, including me, an unbreathable cocktail of fine dusts and nicotine-tar loaded particles that probably still stains my lungs today. We had been discussing how my company (Riskope) could deliver to his organization emergency planning, crisis management in that difficult time,…
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