New data capture system from NCS

National Computer Systems Inc. (NCS), Minneapolis, has released a new data capture system designed to automatically read handwritten information from documents or faxes and process it for a variety of applications. Called NCS Accra, the system verifies and corrects inaccurate information and stores it on optical media, eliminating the need for optical storage.

The NCS Accra system features high production scanners; proven recognition engines for accurate data capture; advanced contextual editing, including address validation and correction; remote fax input capabilities; and robust image archive storage and retrieval options. The system can read hand-printed, machine-printed and bar-coded data as well as optical marks, including check marks, X’s and tick marks, from documents and images. To improve the accuracy of data collection, the system utilizes several technologies, including multiple recognition engines, contextual editing and electronic image cleanup and enhancement to remove noise and de-skew documents. Once the data has been validated and verified, the ASCII record is transferred to a database or user application file.

For applications requiring image archival and retrieval, the system provides automated indexing capability. Image clips, full-page images and imaged attachments, including handwritten notes, signatures, drawings and sketches and charts, can be captured for data entry, automatically indexed and stored for later retrieval. NCS Accra supports central scanning of documents and importing of existing images from a data file, plus entry of images via remote fax. In its basic configuration operating under Microsoft Windows, the system consists of a single personal computer with a fax board or image scanner. The system is fully expandable to support multiple scanners, fax services and data verifica.tion/editing stations in high volume, application critical networked configurations.

A Total end to bias?

Total Research Corp., Princeton, N.J., has introduced TRBC or Total Research Bias Correction. Lorin Zissman, Total Research chairman and CEO, says that TRBC "can dramatically reduce fundamental sources of bias, error and distortion in market research data."

"With TRBC," says John Morton, Total Research senior vice president and head of development of TRBC, "we are now able to more accurately differentiate between groups and even among different countries or cultures. Fairer testing of concepts or products has led to better understanding and prediction of marVet behavior - resulting in up to a 50 percent improvement in predictive accuracy. Incentive systems that reward high customer satisfaction can now be based on a much more level playing field."

Actual research studies showed that when TRBC was introduced, the ability to predict loyal usage of Kodak film increased by 109 percent. TRBC also contributed to a 93 percent prediction of loyal usage of Levi’s jeans, a 114 percent improvement in prediction of usage of United Airlines, and a 64 percent gain for IBM personal computers.

A Total Research study of international health care practitioners showed that more than 80 percent of the measured differences among countries and specialties was due purely to response tendencies. For instance, the apparent negative response of Japanese health care practitioners turned out to be positive once response tendency was taken into account.

New version of 4Thought

Right Information Systems, Newbury, Mass., has released Version 3.20 of 4Thought, its business modeling, analysis and forecasting software program. The new version includes increases in modeling speed and other user-requested enhancements. The company has also entered into distribution agreements with two software companies, Comshare and Cognos, to embed a new core forecasting technology within their EIS products. These licensing agreements will produce business analysis software offering data mining and forecasting in a single product based on the desktop.

Talking Shoppers take to the aisles

Pathfinder Research Group, Acton, Mass., recently began distributing tape recorders to professional interviewers and asking them to record their top-of-mind thoughts while shopping for groceries. The transcribed audio tapes are made available to manufacturers within specific product categories. The company plans to send out hundreds of Talking Shoppers throughout the country to give manufacturers insights into the minds of the average shopper during the shopping experience. Pathfinder is currently experimenting with the Talking Shopper program in two markets and plans to have the service operational in four markets within six months. While initially offering clients verbatim responses by product category, the company anticipates offering greater analysis and expanding the service to other types of retail outlets, such as drug stores, in the near future.

PC directory of research firms coming this summer

Scheduled for delivery in July, Datarectory is a PC-based directory of marketing research companies, independent moderators and service bureaus from Marketeam/Doane, St. Louis. The Windows-based system allows users to scan the offerings of a full directory of marketing research companies and select those providing the services they need. Datarectory lets users perform multi-faceted selection by facility, location, specialization, personnel, services, expertise and more. Users can print out floor plans, maps, bid sheets, hotels, full company listings, and files for mailing labels.

2020 forecasts from Woods & Poole

Woods & Poole Economics, Inc., Washington, D.C., has released its updated county economic and demographic forecasts through the year 2020. The new database contains historical data from 1969 and forecasts to 2020 of more than 500 variables for every county, state, metropolitan area (MSA/PMSA) and designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. The variables include population by race, sex and single year of age, employment and earnings by industry, personal income, households by income and retail sales by kind of business.

The new forecasts are based on historical county data through 1993. The projections include the regional impact of the recovery from the 1990-91 recession. The regional impact of current and expected cuts in military spending is also included in the new projections.

The Woods & Poole county forecasts are available in printed reports as well as on disk or CD-ROM. The data on disk or CD-ROM can be used in GIS software, desktop mapping systems and in Lotus, Excel, dBASE, Paradox, Atlas and other software on PCs and Macintoshes.

Service tracks brand name use on the Internet

Datalytics, Chicago, has introduced MarkWatch, a service that allows clients to monitor how their trademarks and brand names are being used on the Internet. The service is an early warning system, giving brand managers, advertising executives and public relations consultants the ability to respond to developing situations that could otherwise damage their brand image. MarkWatch monitors four areas of cyberspace: the World Wide Web, Usenet groups, databases of domain names, and on-line news wires. Clients can choose to receive daily electronic reports, weekly printed reports or periodic telephone calls warning them about dangerous use of their marks.