The Analytics Advantage

I was in high school the year the global population surpassed 5 billion people. I remember that fact because geography was one subject I had to become an “expert” in as part of my school’s quiz bowl team. (It was one of the many nerdy activities I participated in back then!) At the time, that number seemed enormous. Today, it’s surprisingly small.

As we recognize World Population Day this month, the global population has grown to an estimated 8.2 billion people. World Population Day raises awareness of population trends and the challenges that come with a rapidly changing world. Data plays a critical role in helping us understand and address those changes.

Within our organizations, we rely on data for many of the same reasons: to learn, adapt, and improve. In this month’s issue, you'll learn how to build an analytics culture that turns knowledge sharing into a competitive advantage. Our featured white paper examines how you can thrive by combining AI with uniquely human skills. And we show how Bayesian optimization helps organizations learn more from every test.

Enjoy this month's issue!

Building an analytics culture that learns faster than the competition 

Creating an analytics culture isn’t about technology, slick dashboards, or statistical fluency, it’s about encouraging the right behaviors. In this blog, JMP Systems Engineer Manager Jason Wiggins provides practical advice for building a self-sustaining knowledge-sharing culture that accelerates learning, frees employees to experiment and innovate, and outperforms the competition. (9 min. read)

The Top Seven Ways Scientists and Engineers Should Prepare for the AI-Driven Era 

Are you ready to future-proof your career? This white paper provides a glimpse into the evolving landscape shaped by artificial intelligence and is a must-read for anyone trying to navigate and understand how AI advancements will affect workforce trends. This paper includes practical tips, real-world examples, and expert insights to help you effectively harness the potential of AI while upholding the creative and ethical standards that define human expertise. (10 min. read) 

Master in a minute

Skewness

Skewness is a statistic used to describe the shape of a continuous variable. In this lesson from the Statistics Knowledge Portal, we learn how skewness measures distribution symmetry, what positive and negative skew mean, and how skewness relates to the mean, median, and data tails.
(2 min. read)   

When Every Run Counts: Practical applications of Bayesian optimization in industrial experiments

Struggling with messy physics, constrained mixtures, or failed DOEs where every single experimental run costs serious time and budget? Enter Bayesian optimization. Think of it as a smart autopilot that breathes life into legacy data and autonomously targets the best next step, saving your resources while you keep total control. From de-risking expensive production-line fixes to unlocking hidden value in incomplete experiments, discover five practical ways this lean, iterative approach accelerates innovation without the complex statistical headaches. (6 min. read) 

Innovations for a sustainable planet

Humanity faces unprecedented challenges on its warming planet. While disasters dominate headlines, sustainable progress remains underreported. In this keynote presentation from the 2025 Discovery Summit Europe, Alexander Verbeek discusses how the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, along with corporate commitments and dedicated researchers, have developed spectacular, innovative solutions – supported by using advanced analytical software – offering hope that a brighter future is possible. (1 hr. talk) 

Best-in-class analytics conferences, hosted by JMP

Discovery Summit conferences bring together innovators, practitioners, and thought leaders from around the globe. Past events have featured plenary talks from Lucy Cooke, Hannah Fry, Malcolm Gladwell, and other global leaders in technology, science, and analytics. Breakout sessions offer practical tips and best practices in analytics and are led by experts from some of the most respected organizations in the industry.

Discovery Summit events take place around the world, with conferences held in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Upcoming Summits include an online early user edition on Sep. 23-24 and an in-person event in Baltimore on Oct. 19-22.

Top-rated software loved by data pros!