New NVivo QDA software offers audio and visual capabilities
Australia-based research software developer QSR International’s latest software NVivo 8 is designed to allow qualitative researchers to work with videos, interview recordings, documents, photos, media clips, music and podcasts with greater ease.
NVivo 8 has integrated existing tools with new materials and features. The software still has the same Windows XP interface as NVivo 7 but has capabilities to allow researchers to import, sort and analyze audio files, videos and pictures; analyze material straight from audio and video files and create transcripts within the software in real time; view or listen to video and audio clips via an inbuilt media player; merge separate projects and still identify which coding was completed by which person, as well as view the annotations and links completed by each team member; create and export 3-D charts; share files and findings with clients or colleagues who don’t have NVivo using HTML; query coding completed by individuals or teams and run coding comparisons to show the percentage of coding that is the same or different across users; see colored bars called “coding stripes” which reflect factors such as gender, age or income; and watch new animated tutorial movies and access the help and support resources online. For more information visit www.qsrinternational.com.
New versions of Clementine 12.0 and Text Mining for Clementine 12.0
Chicago software firm SPSS Inc. has released updated versions of its data and text mining programs, Clementine 12.0 and Text Mining for Clementine 12.0. Clementine 12.0 is designed to deliver increased analyst productivity, information insight and visualization. It also includes improved graph interactivity and custom tabular reports driven by a visual design interface so that organizations can better distribute and communicate results.
Clementine 12.0 is designed to improve return on analytical investment through single-step automated modeling, which identifies analytic models and combines multiple predictions for the most accurate results. This provides insight and prediction from their data to solve business problems including customer churn, campaign effectiveness, customer value, marketing cost, fraud and risk analysis.
Text Mining for Clementine 12.0 is designed to help organizations extract key concepts, sentiments and relationships in different languages from textual or “unstructured” data, such as e-mail, blogs, RSS feeds and surveys. Users can extract additional insight from these channels to draw conclusions and take action.
Clementine 12.0 is integrated with SPSS Predictive Enterprise Services, Dimensions (SPSS survey software) and is more open than previous versions for integration with other software applications, such as IBM DB2 Warehouse 9.5 and BusinessObjects XI platform. For more information visit www.spss.com.
Lidlow offers toolset for online qualitative researchers
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, data collection services provider Lidlow Worldwide Inc. has released its online qualitative platform Delve!. Delve! brings tools market researchers currently use in traditional discussion groups to online qualitative research in an effort to improve the effectiveness of market researchers’ online discussion groups.
Additions to the software include Delve!Notes and Delve!Flags that allow moderators to add notes and flags to responses in real time instead of post-research; descriptive titles for each section of the application to reduce new-user confusion; simple-question summaries so users can easily see which question they are answering; and WYSIWYG text editing to make text entry more similar to common word processor applications. For more information visit www.lidlow.com.
Knowledge Networks debuts media measurement tool
Menlo Park, Calif., consumer information firm Knowledge Networks (KN) has launched MultiMedia Mentor: Brand Bridge, a system that links media planning and brand-building objectives. It incorporates Return on Marketing Objective (ROMO) data from Marketing Evolution under a cross-licensing agreement.
The product combines KN’s approach to measuring consumer use of key media with Marketing Evolution’s ROMO data, which quantifies media’s effects on the consumer. It is designed to enable users to incorporate marketing goals into evaluations for TV, Internet and magazines.
MultiMedia Mentor offers single-source measurement of time spent with eight media and combines it with software to allow users to create strategic media plans that deliver messages efficiently against a budget or a target audience. For more information visit www.knowledgenetworks.com.
Latest release of ArcGIS Explorer now available
Redlands, Calif., geographic information systems firm ESRI has released ArcGIS Explorer 440, an updated version of the firm’s free map-sharing software. The new version includes more ways to customize maps, methods of communicating information about features on custom maps and faster navigation to target areas around the globe.
Additional features are designed to increase performance connecting to ArcIMS services, enabling users to better leverage existing 2-D services in the ArcGIS Explorer 3-D environment; provide access to ArcIMS sublayers, enabling the selection of desired content and providing better control; include new billboarded point symbol sets, as well as the ability for users to add custom symbols from local images or images found on the Web; and support and customize pop-up windows for results and local data sources.
Other changes include updated KML support, new navigation options, access to map layer properties and enhanced result management. For more information visit www.esri.com.
Reportlinker.com offers report on consumer behavior
New York-based market research engine Reportlinker.com has added “Insights to Consumer Behavior to Keep You a Step Ahead,” a new market research report related to the consumer goods sector.
“Insights into Consumer Behavior to Keep You a Step Ahead” is a presentation given by Datamonitor at the Food Marketing Institute’s Advertising & Marketing Conference held in Miami Beach, Fla., in April 2007 that combines global consumer trend analysis with market observations and product innovation trends.
The report also includes topics such as women’s growing economic status driving a “feminization of society,” fewer men associating themselves with traditional male or macho attributes and how changes in consumer behavior are likely to affect future purchase decisions. For more information visit www.reportlinker.com.
Lux launches Nanotech Index
New York-based Lux Research has released a quarterly update to the Lux Nanotech Index. The Index serves as a benchmark for the value that markets ascribe to emerging nanotechnology and forms the basis of the PowerShares Lux Nanotech Portfolio. The update was highlighted by the addition of Nanosphere following the diagnostics developer’s initial public offering.
The components of the Lux Nanotech Index are split into two groups: 1) nanotech specialists – small and mid-sized companies that focus specifically on developing or funding emerging nanotechnology applications – and 2) end-use incumbents – large companies that are applying nanotechnology to existing product lines. Nanotech specialists account for 75 percent of the modified equal-dollar-weighted index; end-use incumbents account for 25 percent.
The Lux Nanotech Index reflects the value financial markets place on emerging nanotechnology by including both a listing of the publicly-traded nanotech specialists that meet its listing requirements and a representative sample of the end-use incumbent deriving value from nanotech today. The Index is updated quarterly to represent the current state of this rapidly evolving field. For more information visit www.luxresearchinc.com.
Solar market research service dawns
Cambridge, Mass., online media company Greentech Media Inc. and the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development, a Cambridge, Mass., non-profit devoted to furthering the advancement of alternative energy and sustainable development, have launched a market research service for the solar/photovoltaics (PV) industry to deliver mix of market studies, bi-weekly and monthly newsletters and quarterly “state of the industry” Webinars. Combined, these are designed to serve as a knowledgebase for industry players, revealing data on the solar/PV supply chain, demand drivers, pricing, policy and financing.
Subscribers will receive an annual subscription to PV News and The Venture Power Report and access to quarterly Webinars. For more information visit www.greentechmedia.com.
Briefly
London-based Research Now has launched three additional online panels across the Americas. The panels in Mexico, Argentina and Chile join the U.S., Canadian and Brazilian panels owned by the company in the region. The panels are standalone, locally-recruited propositions, each with their individualized country incentive choices, but have been built to Research Now’s global panel model. For more information visit www.researchnow.co.uk.
Edison, N.J., research firm Schlesinger Associates has opened a new focus group facility in the Galleria area of Houston. The four-suite facility features eye tracking and on-demand access to recording. Nick Polk has been named facility director. For more information visit www.schlesingerassociates.com.
Austin, Texas, research software company Inquisite has released Inquisite Survey System 8.5, the latest version of its enterprise feedback management survey software. Key features include real-time e-mail alerts, survey re-open, branded exit pages, multi-select answer option, dynamic sampling and fatigue management. For more information visit www.inquisite.com.
Stamford, Conn.-based FocusVision has expanded its fixed-camera VideoStreaming service in Europe. The service is managed remotely by FocusVision and is used for one-on-one interviews. It includes project coordination, technical support and viewing and analytical tools. The company expects all of its European facilities to offer the service by April 2008. For more information visit www.focusvision.com.
Dubai-based Maktoob Research is now offering results from its Mobile Syndicated Study, which looks at cell phone usage in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. It includes information on user satisfaction levels related to mobile operator services, most familiar telecom operators, best logos, reasons prompting users to change their telecom operators, reasons for satisfaction with current operators and preferred features in mobile phones. For more information visit www.maktoob-research.com.