NEC unveils predictive analytics automation technology

NEC Corporation has developed predictive analytics automation technology to meet the demand for highly accurate analysis methods that quickly perform large-scale data analysis and are user friendly for non-experts. 

The new technology alleviates the legwork required for analysing relational databases composed of multiple databases. Traditionally, skilled data scientists have to manually discover and associate complex relationships between databases and adjust prediction models with machine learning, but there is a shortage of well-trained data scientists.

NEC’s Predictive Analytics Automation Technology, developed as part of its portfolio of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, NEC the WISE, automates the processes for predictive analysis. According to NEC, this allows people who lack advanced data analysis skills to perform predictive analyses quickly, at a level that is equal to or better than the accuracy of work from a well-trained data scientist.

Joint trials carried out by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and NEC have confirmed that this technology successfully maintained accuracy and reduced predictive analysis to just one day, in comparison to conventional methods that require two to three months of work by a professional analyst.

“This new technology can contribute to the acceleration of business decisions, including strategic planning, hypothesis verification and policy implementation, based on the discovery of new potential needs,” said Akio Yamada, GM, Data Science Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation. “We aim to provide this technology as a service within the 2017 fiscal year for companies seeking to independently perform effective big data analysis.