O.R./Analytics at Work Blog
Blog Entries for O.R.
My mother worked for EPA for almost 20 years, instilling me with a respect for the world around me. The topic of O.R. and the Environment seemed like a natural (weak pun intended) fit. I was struck by the sentence in Patricia Randall’s blog entry, “While I am certain it is possible to include green objectives in a model, I haven’t had a client say ‘Minimize my emissions or my carbon footprint’. Or have I?” “Green objectives” need a paradigm shift from being viewed as going above and beyond, to being intrinsic to the fabric of good business. What O.R. and analytics are already doing is finding the best way to solve problems with optimum impact, and that optimization should include preserving the planet we all share.
There are many opportunities for OR/MS and analytics folks to include “greening” as an element of their analysis that protects the earth while streamlining supply chain networks and decision models, decreasing waste, and increasing revenue and production. Maybe the call is to go beyond the obvious solution, to add in environmentally friendly options, as a “value-added” service to your clients, or to calculate the impact to future generations of not implementing green measures. Of course, this could be viewed as Pollyanna thinking, that it isn’t financially possible, it’s too difficult, or that no one really cares about those types of objectives. But to quote a cute, mustachey guy (no, not Paul Rubin,) “I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees.”
Thank you to everyone who submitted to this blog challenge, they will be included in the upcoming Focus On Environment, a compilation of articles from INFORMS journals. As we head into the holidays, the next blog (and perhaps personal) challenge will be O.R. and Families. Please email your entries to socialnetworking@mail.informs.org by December 12.
O.R. and the Environment
Extra Credit goes to Anna Nagurney and Laura McLay for two entries.
- Brilliant Lecture by Dr. Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Laureate and Activist, Anna Nagurney
- Sustainability of Supply Chain Networks, Anna Nagurney
- only you (and your optimization model) can prevent forest fires, Laura McLay
- crowd sizes, home energy usage, baseball odds, and pop songs, Laura McLay
- Environmental Business – A Green Light for Analytics?, Capgenini Blog Team
- Corporate Buyouts, Sustainability in the DNA? , Ian Frommer
- EnviORment [sic], Francisco Marco-Serrano
- Deciding on Lean or Green, John Poppelaars
- OR, the Environment, and the Law of Unintended Consequences, Paul Rubin
- Optimizing Your Transportation Network can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint , Patricia Randall
- Primal and dual valuation of our natural resources using O.R., Thiago Serra
- Water supply and the environment, David Smith
- Jumbo decision models to protect the environment, Shivaram Subramanian
- Grizzlies, Pandas, and Optimal Ecological Structures, Mike Trick
As we say a final farewell to our favorite Harry Potter characters this summer and return to the land of the Muggles, I have to wonder what these muggles – non-wizardy folks with no magical ability – had to say about the events that were taking place right under their noses. Did they even realize they were benefiting from the magic surrounding them? Were the “Mudbloods” ever at a graphic design conference trying to explain how the society they worked for had the potential to make the world a better, more efficient place to live? Oh, wait, that was me.
One of the challenges we face is getting the OR/MS and analytics professions more recognized in fields that need it the most. Many times this requires an explanation and selling of the benefits of O.R. to the uninitiated. So this lighthearted blog challenge for June inspired some of our own O.R. wizards to give their take on trying to explain operations research and analytics to “muggles.” And while it may not be magic, O.R. does have the power to transform.
A warm welcome to David Woods, who posted his first entry to the INFORMS Blog Challenge! He posted on his blog, Simplexify, “Let’s learn from owls and disrupt the postal service.” Note to David: Maybe team up with Mike Trick based on his upgrade from being a mail muggle.
The Capgemini Blog Team submitted four entries in a series featuring the potential for analytics in the London 2012 Olympic Games, including comics!
- Olympic tickets – were you in the winning segment?
- Olympic Tickets bought – How do I get there?
- Mining Olympic Data Gold
- Forecasting a Successful Olympics
"Modelling Magic", the blog entry from O.R. at Work’s John Poppelaars, gives a great condensed history of O.R. and some examples of the magic in action.
“The Science of Better Owl Deliveries,” posted by David Smith, convincing us that O.R. is alive and well at Hogwarts.
Laura McLay gives 10 good reasons "Why We Need Operations Research" on her blog, Punk Rock Operations Research.
“The model as spell and the solver as a wand: O.R. magic for a muggles’ world,” submitted by Thiago Serra.
Mike Trick blogs on “Explaing O.R. to, and being, a Muggle.”
O.R. by the Beach not only blogged but provided a three-part series, written and illustrated by Talleys Yunes, titled “Rescue Mission.”
Paul Rubin blogs on “Hitting the Muggles from All Sides.” And while we take full responsibility for the term “muggles” in the challenge, hopefully you get a bump in traffic anyway.
July’s challenge is O.R. and social networking. Send entries to graphics@mail.informs.org by August 4th.
The January blog challenge of O.R. and Politics provided many scenarios of how operations research can improve the political process (or not.) One of the common threads was the ability of O.R. to provide transparency and logical solutions in situations commonly dominated by politicians whose main motivation is to stay in office. But therein may lie the crux of the struggle -- how much does logic figure in the political process? To borrow from Anna Nagurney’s post, one of the definitions of politics is “the total complex of relations between people living in a society.” Can that “complex of relations” tolerate both logic and the sometimes illogical feelings of the people? O.R.’s highest purpose, while not intentionally excluding the benefit of individuals, is to improve the greater good of society. However, when heartfelt anecdotes about individuals are highlighted by the media, they often become a rallying point for politicians running for reelection and can evoke a response from constituents that demand reason and logic be thrown out the door. Let’s face it, everyone isn’t as passionate about O.R. as our blog challenge participants. Take a look below at their takes on O.R. and Politics.
And speaking of passion… February’s Blog Challenge is O.R. and Love.
E-mail your entries to graphics@mail.informs.org.
Role of O.R. and response planning
- Disaster Politics and Operations Research, Anna Nagurney
- Snow removal using a shovel, a plow, and operatations research, Laura McLay
O.R. and political districting
- Optimizing the House of Representatives, Robert Randall
- Operations Research and gerrymandering, Larry D'Agostino
- Political Districting and OR, Tallys Yunes
O.R. and advising politicians
- Does Prime Minister Rutte require an OR/MS counsellor?, John Poppelaars
- OR or CYA, Paul Rubin
- How’s VAT?, Capgemini O.R. Blog Team
- State of the Union, Ian Frommer
O.R. and the voting process
- And the Chancellor is…, Francisco Marco-Serrano
- How Operations Research Helps Me Understand Politics and Voting, Michael Trick
O.R. and urban development
- Politics in a developing country, David Smith
- Optimizing Public Policies for Urban Planning, Thiago Serra
Politics and Honesty
- The honest politician and other rare events, Shiva Subramanian
- The Diogenes Problem, Paul Rubin, who has earned bonus points in the blog challenge for posting twice!
