terraseer | Geographical Perspectives

TerraSeer is Hiring – Apply to Join our Team as a Database Developer

Job title: Database Developer
Date posted: 06/12/2012
Job type: Full-time

Job Description
The successful candidate will work with an entrepreneurial team of software developers to deliver cutting edge web-based geospatial visualization applications, allowing large business enterprises to leverage data investments and identify opportunities for improved operational efficiency.

The position is responsible for analyzing, designing, implementing and administering complex relational databases and working with software developers to deliver sophisticated web applications.

Responsibilities:
-Develop and work with relational databases
-Optimize existing database queries and tables
-Create efficient database table structures
-Document and improve development processes
-Debug code; ensure integrity of database programs
-Assist with data pre-processing as required
-Build SQL query modules, stored procedures, triggers, views and reports
-Develop and modify SQL stored procedures
-Communicate effectively with team members
-Prioritize work tasks and meet deadlines
-Perform intermediate DBA tasks including database security, performance tuning, backup and recovery

Job Requirements
The position requires cross-functional abilities in the development and administration, programming and testing, troubleshooting/reengineering, and maintenance of large-scale, complex databases. Knowledge of MySQL, SQL Server, and/or PostgreSQL is required, along with experience designing processes to ensure data integrity. Ability to work from a home office with occasional travel required.

Preferred candidate will possess:
• Experience with MySQL/SQL databases powering live interactive web or mobile applications
• Knowledge of complex SQL queries, methodologies, and design
• Working knowledge of PHP, Javascript, HTML or equivalent
• Experience in API design/documentation
• Experience working with geospatial data and/or GIS applications a plus
• Experience with rich internet application tools, e.g., Flash, Silverlight, HTML5, a plus
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills

Job location
Location flexible within the US, Oregon (Willamette Valley) or Colorado (Front Range) preferred.
US Citizenship required.

To be considered for this position, please send resume and cover letter to [email protected].
No phone calls. No 3rd party agencies.

Speaking this week at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium

I’ll be speaking at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) in Chicago this Thursday. It’s an exciting opportunity to share some of the geographic data analysis approaches we’ve (TerraSeer) been using to help manufacturers and retailers forecast demand and make inventory assortment decisions. Here’s a downloadable brochure with more information about the conference.

Hopefully this speaking engagement will lead to more opportunities to introduce geospatial analytics to the manufacturing sector and the automotive aftermarket in particular. If you happen to be in Chicago-land stop by the Hyatt Regency near O’Hare and check it out!

I will try to share some thoughts during the conference so follow me on Twitter if you’re interested.

Replacement Rate Models in the Automotive Aftermarket

Recently I posted an article to the Aftermarket Analytics blog about replacement rate modeling in the automotive aftermarket. It’s a sizable post, worthwhile for anyone interested in demand modeling in any industry. I’ll post an excerpt here, but head over to the post to get the full article and images.

“An important piece of the automotive aftermarket category management puzzle involves an understanding of your category’s replacement rates. Replacement rates, which are also referred to as repair rates or failure rates, are essentially an estimate of the likelihood that a vehicle will need to a replacement part due to failure or normal wear and tear.

So, how should replacement rates be calculated?

Well, it starts with determining an appropriate numerator and denominator. The denominator should represent an estimate of the total population of vehicles. The numerator should represent an estimate of the total number of vehicles that required a particular part replacement.

As I understand it currently the two most common ways of calculating replacement rates go something like this: (1) replacement rates are simply calculated using a consumer survey where the total number of a particular vehicle in the survey is used as the denominator and the number of repairs/replacements reported is used as the numerator; or (2) some data/technology providers generate replacement rates based on repair shop part “look-ups” – meaning how frequently a part is queried in an online database of parts. So the number of look-ups is used as the denominator and the number of reported repairs/replacements is used as the numerator.

I don’t like either approach.”

Visualizing Unemployment Dynamics – Animate and Compare Time Periods

Last week I posted a map illustrating changes in Home Price Indices over the past 5 years. I had one comment on LinkedIn looking for a similar map for unemployment data. This is a different type of map using an older version of TerraSeer’s web mapping technology. The static map below shows county-level unemployment change between Jan 2001 and Dec 2008. You can animate unemployment rates between 1990 and 2010 or compare a custom time period (toggle from “animate” to “compare” – see lower left radio buttons) on the interactive map at TerraSeer. Unemployment data provided by Synergos Technologies. I welcome any feedback!

Do you have data you’d like animated? Or would you like to be able to create map comparisons easily? Let me know! I’d love to help!

Moneyball and the Automotive Aftermarket on AftermarketAnalytics.com

I recently made a post on the aftermarketanalytics.com blog on Moneyball & the Automotive Aftermarket. Please check it out and, as always, leave a comment and let me know what you think! Just to give you an idea of what the article is all about, here are the first couple paragraphs:

“I recently watched the movie Moneyball starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. It was a good movie and it made me think about parallels with the Automotive Aftermarket.

In Moneyball, a bold GM for the cash-strapped Oakland A’s begins using a flavor of analytics called Sabermetrics to identify undervalued baseball players who can help the team win without breaking the bank. Despite resistance from baseball’s old-school veterans, the approach is successful and the A’s overachieve by posting a winning season despite a payroll that is dwarfed in comparison to the New York Yankees and most of the rest of the league.

The use of analytics now seems to be firmly established as an important component in professional baseball management. Sabermetrics doesn’t replace the need for veterans of the game who can identify talent and the intangibles that make great baseball players and winning baseball teams, but it does add a critical and previously missing element to the business of baseball. I see the Automotive Aftermarket embarking on a similar journey in the coming years, although I’m not expecting Brad Pitt to star as the CEO of NAPA in a blockbuster movie anytime soon..”