Technique mixes qualitative, quantitative

Seattle-based research firm Global Market Insite (GMI) and London-based research firm QualiQuant have formed a joint venture for the development and marketing of the QualiQuant Toolkit. Using GMI's Web-based software, the QualiQuant Toolkit will allow the fusion of qualitative and quantitative research to be performed, both online and offline, on a scaleable, multilin­gual, self-administered or interviewer-assisted basis. QualiQuant Toolkit is integrated with GMI's Net-MR plat­form for market research as well as GMI's global consumer panel. The product incorporates visual, interactive projective questions adapted from tech­niques more commonly applied to group discussions. This allows the col­lection of qualitative data in a quanti­tative context. The techniques can also be applied to smaller qualitative-type unstructured interviews. For more information contact Claire-Juliette Beale at 301-599-0555 or at cjbeale@gmi-rnr.com.

QpenSurvey debuts first open standard software effort

TabsML, the first OpenSurvey stan­dard to reach implementation level, was unveiled in June at the 10th Melinco User Group Meeting at the Marlborough Hotel London. OpenSurvey is an organization whose mission is to improve the usefulness of survey research software through the promotion and development of open standards and other cooperative efforts. TabsML is an XML representation of survey table content, intended to cover all aspects of annotation and numeric data. As well as providing a pathway between traditional crosstab packages and the newer table delivery systems, it is also expected that it will be a way for end users to consolidate tables from different sources and different time-periods (i.e., for continuous surveys). Initially designed by E-Tabs under OpenSurvey's sponsorship, the stan­dard has been implemented by Merlinco Ltd. (tables exported by MERLIN and MERLINPLUS), E-Tabs (imported by E-Tabs Professional) and DataTree (imported by the TeraTree suite). Version 1.1 of the standard (as represented by an XML Schema, and detailed documentation) can be inspect­ed and downloaded from www.open-survey.org. The existing implementors intend to develop it further, and anyone interested in joining the development group should contact info@opensurvey.org.

Pre-test commercials over the Web

Atlanta-based research firm Marketing Workshop, Inc., has announced a new service to pre-test television commercials over the Internet. In conjunction with ActiveGroup, the commercial is streamed over the Internet to a sample of qualified households who then answer questions about it. Because the commercial is streamed rather than downloaded the test commercial cannot be seen more than once, and cannot be copied, e-mailed, downloaded, or saved. The system checks the respon­dent's computer to make sure it has the proper bandwidth and other equipment needed to see and hear the commer­cial. For more information contact Jim Nelems at 770-449-6767 or visit www.mwshop.com.

Greenfield packages concept screening services

Greenfield Online, a Westport, Conn., research firm, has announced a package of services designed to speed up concept screening and also provide a rating system to separate winners from losers. The company has pack­aged its online survey technologies with best practices for concept screen-ing, creating a new product, SuccessScreen. Concepts can be tested as text only or with visuals. Comparisons are made on key concept screening measures. SuccessScreen relies on proprietary software and works by linking Web-enabled con­sumer surveying to a normative data­base that "scores" new concepts rela­tive to previously tested concepts, through FYI Worldwide, a modeling, data analysis and forecasting company. For more information contact Lis Tanz-Harrison in the company's St. Louis office at 314-316-3050.

Web survey software from the Analytical Group

The Analytical Group, Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz., has released QueryWeb/WinQuery 2.0, software which lets users securely host WinQuery studies on the Web. QueryWeb uses WinQuery 2.0 to cre­ate studies, so there is no need for any custom CGI, Java, or other scripting. Once a study is created, WinQuery's Internet-ready files are copied to a secure location on a QueryWeb Internet/intranet server. Using this approach, questionnaires are ready to run on the Web within minutes. Since the questionnaire logic is shared between its three modes, a WinQuery 2.0 study developed for use in phone centers and/or mail surveys may also be used for Internet viewing, with all respondent data being collected in a single location. The company can also host your WinQuery 2.0-generated questionnaires for you. For more infor­mation visit www.acsinfo.com or call 800-946-2767.

SPSS Server 10.1 out now

SPSS Server 10.1 - the server com­ponent of SPSS Distributed Analysis Architecture (DAA) - is now avail­able for AIX from SPSS BI, a division of SPSS Inc., Chicago. DAA enables organizations to securely analyze mas­sive data sets. Comprised of SPSS for Windows and SPSS Server, SPSS DAA provides users with a scalable, enterprise-level data analysis solution. SPSS for Windows - SPSS BFs mod­ular, integrated desktop data analysis software - serves as the client inter­face, while SPSS Server manages access to and performs computations on the data. SPSS DAA enables users to analyze data sets faster by allowing large data sets to remain on the server and eliminating the need to copy and convert data. It also facilitates data access from many sources and enables administrators to maintain a high level of data security. For more information visit www.spss.com/spss10/spssserver10.

Guidebook for employee focus groups

Davis & Company, a River Edge, N.J., employee communications con­sulting firm, has introduced Working Wisdom: Capturing Employee Insights Through Focus Group Research, a 92-page guidebook designed to help pro­fessionals use focus groups to uncover the attitudes behind employees' view­points and turn this information into effective programs that help the com­pany achieve its goals. A Web site, www.davisandco.com/focusgroup, contains excerpts from the book, a table of contents, and other details about the book, in addition to general information about employee focus groups.

New tracking system for CPG firms

FreedomPay, Inc., Wayne, Pa., developers of a network to enable cashless purchases coupled with consumer loy­alty programs, has launched its FreedomPay MicroTrack CPG Marketing Suite, a tracking system designed to improve promotional effi­ciency and provide advanced marketing data for manufacturers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The FreedomPay MicroTrack system tracks FreedomPay members' purchases at the point of sale and combines both behav­ioral and demographic information, allowing FreedomPay to develop tar­geted consumer promotions for its CPG customers. FreedomPay's network devices are attached to vending machines and cash registers to gather individual item movement. The MicroTrack system merges that infor­mation with profiles of individual FreedomPay members who use the net­ work to make everyday cashless pur­chases. Tracking individual consumer buying behavior allows FreedomPay to conduct targeted marketing pro­grams based on criteria pre-selected by the CPG manufacturers. For more information visit www.freedompay.com or call 888-495-0222.

New version of DSS WorkBench

Customer Potential Management, East Peoria, 111., has released version 3.0 of DSS WorkBench, its database analysis and query tool. The new soft­ware offers more user-friendly selection of variables to generate complex queries without having to know SQL (Structured Query Language). DSS WorkBench allows health care plan­ners and marketers to analyze the infor­mation in their database for decision support. DSS WorkBench Version 3.0 adds a new restriction screen for more complex list exclusions. It also offers embedded reference tables that display choices for selection parameters. Other new features include integration with a mail list generator to produce mailing lists and control groups simultaneous­ly with queries, and the ability to save query formulas for repeat use. CPM retained features such as geodemographic mapping capabilities, charting and graphing, data export, analytical processing and service utilization. Also included are standard and customized analytical reports and data filters for restricting data views for information pertinent to each task or goal. For more information visit www.cpm.com.

Conduct Web surveys in many languages

CustomerSat Inc., a Mountain View, Calif., research firm, has added enhanced multi-language capabilities in its Enterprise Customer Experience Management (eCEM) System 4, expanding users' ability to invite and manage feedback from a global, multi-language customer base. The new functionality allows users to cre­ate surveys in different languages and to include a single process to auto­matically deploy every aspect of the online survey process - e-mail invitations, online survey, reminder notices, etc. - in an unlimited num­ber of different languages, including double-byte character languages such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. This feature allows a business to cre­ate one master survey, with automat­ic deployment of the e-mail invita­tion written in any combination of languages. The e-mail asks customers to provide feedback through an online survey, which appears to the customer in same language as the invitation. All subsequent communications are also generated in this language. For more information visit www.CustomerSat.com or call 800-372-7772.

Software updates from NetRaker

NetRaker Corporation, a Sunny vale, Calif., research software firm, has released NetRaker Suite 3.1, an update of its customer evaluation application that delivers feedback on a Web site's ease of use, content, audience, and other business decision information. The NetRaker Suite 3.1 enhanced features include: NetRaker ResearchLogic, which provides control over the flow of research by allowing users to rotate blocks of questions and usability tasks, trigger questions based on responses and user actions, set up user quotas, and drive questions based on information stored in backend databases; NetRaker Cross Tabs, which helps users analyze the patterns in research data by identifying the similarities, trends, and distinctions between dif­ferent groups; and NetRaker Filters, a new way to answer questions about customer attitudes and behavior pat­terns by filtering and sorting the research data based on common answers. For more information visit www.netraker.com.

IMS profiles leading pharm companies

IMS Health, a Westport, Conn., health care information firm, has announced online availability of Pharmaceutical Company Profiles (PCP), a database of information about 100 leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide. PCP provides analyses of each company's research and development pipeline, strategy, products and performance, as well as forecasts by financial and industry analysts. Annual interviews conduct­ed with executives and professionals from the largest global pharmaceuti­cal companies supplement informa­tion compiled from sources that include specialist publications, con­ferences, investment reports and IMS Health sales data. For more informa­tion visit www.imshealth.com.

Free update of StatPac

Minneapolis-based StatPac Inc. has announced a free update for StatPac for Windows, its survey software and analysis package. The new update offers an Internet survey system and graphics module. The new software features single and multiple-page Internet surveys, including the abili­ty to send customized and serialized e-mail invitations to potential respon­dents asking for their participation. The software creates html Web pages complete with Java script to control validity checking and branching. The researcher uploads the pages to their Web site, and responses are stored on their server until they're ready to be analyzed. The new graphics design module offers a large selection of pre­sentation-quality charts, including traditional pie graphs, bar graphs, box and whisker plots, and scattergrams. Graphs can be included with the tab­ular reports or saved as .jpg files. The StatPac for Windows update is free to all users by calling 612-925-0159 or visiting www.statpac.com.

School location databases from Spatial Insights

Spatial Insights, Inc., Vienna, Va., has released two extensively attrib­uted databases of geocoded school locations: K to 12, comprised of ele­mentary and secondary schools; and Higher Ed, which includes college and university locations. The data supplement existing information sourced from the U.S. Census and collectors of business statistics. Data for the more than 94,000 elementary and secondary schools were assembled from government surveys conducted annually. Among its more than 500 attributes, K to 12 includes student enrollment by grade, student-teacher ratio, and gender and ethnicity of the student population for each grade level. Specialty information provides the count of students eligible to receive free or reduced lunches plus migrant enrollment. Also compiled from infor­mation queried directly from the edu­cational institutions, the Higher Ed dataset features over 9,800 colleges and universities nationwide. In addi­tion to name and address fields, attrib­utes include type of school (public, pri­vate, or nonprofit), number of years (four-year or two-year), and degrees offered, enrollment, and tuition fees. The K to 12 data are available for the 1998/1999 and 1997/1998 school years. The vintage of the Higher Ed data is 1997/1998. The data work directly with ARC/INFO, ArcView, Maplnfo Professional, and are avail­able in a number of industry standard formats, including .tab, .shp, and .dbf. Both datasets are GIS-ready. For more information visit www.spatialin-sights.com/data/geodata/school.

Updated G1S software from ESRI

Redlands, Calif., GIS software firm ESRI has released ArcIMS 3.1, the newest version of its GIS and mapping software for the Internet. It is the first major update of the software since its initial release last year. The ArcGIS Desktop products (ArcView, ArcEditor, and Arclnfo) can now con­nect directly to the map and feature services provided by ArcIMS 3.1 and use ArcIMS as a data source in con­junction with other data types. With the release of ArcIMS 3.1, ESRI has internationalized the software; mes­sages and menus have been placed into resource bundles for easy localization, and the software supports code pages for all languages for shapefiles and database files. The firm is also shipping ArcGIS 8.1 Geostatistical Analyst, which provides a variety of tools for spatial data exploration, identification of data anomalies, statistical estima­tion, optimal surface creation, and evaluation of uncertainty in prediction surfaces. New analytical tools such as detrending using local polynomials, error modeling with kriging and cok-riging, data transformations, and cross-validation model comparison allow optimal surface creation and analysis. Geostatistical Analyst provides a series of wizard dialog boxes containing ana­lytical tools to assist the user in deter­mining the values for the parameters specified. The product includes pre­diction, quantile, probability, predic­tion of standard errors, and standard error of indicators output maps. For more information, visit www.esri.com/arcims or call ESRI at 1-800-447-9778.

New resource for foodservice industry

The NPD Group, Inc., Port Washington, N.Y., has launched a new Web-based resource for the foodser­vice industry, NPDFoodworld. Through the new service NPD is col­lecting and delivering industry infor­mation online. The service offers secure access to market data and analy­sis updated monthly, including an enhanced version of NPD's CREST service. In addition to NPD market information, the service provides access to third-party links and feeds delivered via a personalized Website. For more information visit www.npd.com.

Briefly

KidzEyes.com, an online research panel from Chicago-based C&R Research Services, is now offering an omnibus service giving clients monthly access to 900 kids, six to 14 years of age. Clients can access data via a dedicated, password-protected reporting portal plus a downloadable data file. For more information contact Megan Burdick at 312-832-8775.

Nashville-based 20/20 Research, Inc. has added online bulletin board and chat capabilities to its list of qualitative research services.

Claritas UK and European sampling agency Sample Answers have launched a European lifestyle database for con­sumer market research. The database, SampleHome Europe, was developed in conjunction with Claritas UK and encompasses data from Claritas opera­tions in the U.K., Germany, Holland, Spain, France and Italy.

Zurich-based electronic data collec­tion firm Quask has launched a Web-based research software system

called FormCaster. The software is available free from www.quask.com, and allows online survey forms to be created and tested by anyone with a PC. Once forms are created, Quask hosts the online survey, and handles data collection and analysis. The ser­vice is priced on a pay-per-use basis.

Business intelligence marketplace MarketResearch.com has released a new report, "The U.S. Hair Care Market," published by Packaged Facts. MarketResearch.com is also offering "The Windows Report," which examines the current trends in the windows product industry, "The U.S. Fence Products Report," pro­duced by Specialist Business In Business Information (SBI), and "The U.S. Market for Gastrointestinal Products."

Arbitron Inc., New York, has launched Webcast Audience Profile, a new Webcast audience measurement service which gathers audience demo­graphics of individual streaming media channels. The service uses a pop-up survey on Webcasters' sites to gather demographic, socio-economic and Internet usage information. The survey does not interrupt the Webcast pro­gramming or content.

Albany, N.Y. research firm Colwell & Salmon Communications, Inc. has launched a new Web survey product to be hosted on the www.market-ingservicesonline.net site.