New interactive interviewing service
Network, a Covington, Ky., field management and data collection firm, has partnered with Visual Research Communications, Metuchen, N.J., to offer MINT (MultiMedia Interviewing-Networked Technology), an interactive interviewing service using touch screen technology. The technique can be used in mall intercepts, central location testing and one-on-ones for ad concept testing, commercial testing, packaging research, concept testing, image and identity studies, product testing, simulated shelf testing and segmentation research.
Update of Perception Analyzer dial system
Columbia Information Systems, Portland, Ore., has released version 4.2 of its dial-based Perception Analyzer audience response system. The upgraded software includes automated hardware calibration diagnostics, simplified automated back-up procedures, enhanced moment-tomoment display and configuration options, data file protection features and the ability to capture screen graphics directly from the display data mode.
Customized workshop for transit industry
Northwest Research Group, Bellevue, Wash., is now offering Transportation Toolbox: Market Research, Ridership and Management, a customized two-day workshop on market research for the transit industry that covers a variety of topics from designing and planning a research program to applying results to transit management, programming and planning. Each workshop is designed specifically for the agency at which it is presented. Workshop presenters are Rebecca Elmore-Yalch, president of Northwest Research Group, and Richard Yalch, professor, University of Washington School of Business.
Tyson offers business intelligence benchmarking
Kirk Tyson International, a Chicago business intelligence and consulting firm, is now offering Business Intelligence Best Practices, a process that allows companies to compare their own business intelligence process to other firms based on Tyson International’s study of over 500 global companies.
Forrester debuts service for interactive developers
Forrester Research, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., now offers Interactive Technology Strategies (ITS), a research service designed to help interactive developers make technology decisions. ITS conducts interviews with media companies, consumer goods companies, service companies and others using interactive technologies to reach consumers, as well as with key vendors of development tools, Internet products and services and hardware. ITS analysis comes in many formats, including written research reports and briefs, on-call analysis and consultations with analysts. All ITS research is available alone or in conjunction with a wider package of Forrester’s research offerings. The first ITS strategies report projects the consumer Internet browser landscape for the next two years and uses these projections to define content strategies for consumer Web sites. Future reports will con- centrate on interactive development and delivery technologies like Internet servers, interactive development tools, CD-ROM and digital video.
Partnership provides map generation on the Internet
Oracle has integrated the mapping tools of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Strategic Mapping, Inc. (SMI) with Oracle7 Release 7.3 to enable interactive maps to be generated on Oracle Web Servers. Oracle7 Release 7.3 is the relational server component of Oracle Universal Server, an information management solution for companies seeking to capitalize on the advantages of accessing any data - relational, text or multimedia - from any application, over any network. SMI and Oracle have collaborated to provide integrated technology for map generation and spatial data retrieval over the Internet. Map-enabled WWW sites provide useful options for retrieving location-specific information. Users can interactively search for the nearest location of a store, facility or office of a particular business based on the user’s address. This functionality offers benefits for applications such as electronic yellow pages, customer service, real estate and other information based services.
Survey Sampling Web site
Survey Sampling, Inc., Fairfield, Conn., has launched a new Web site at http://www.worldopinion.com, aimed at users of market and opinion research. WorldOpinion will feature a calendar of research events, information on research companies and organizations, job openings and other information.
Raosoft releases internet module for SURVEYWin
A new Internet module for SURVEYWin, Version 3.0, from Raosoft, Inc., Seattle, lets users insert data collection forms into existing Web pages and then analyze the gathered data with SURVEYWin’s point-and- click statistics. With the Internet module, SURVEYWin will convert its electronic forms into HTML forms. Anyone with a forms-capable browser (such as Lynx or Navigator) can fill out information on-line and send it back to a Web server. The Internet module then interfaces with the server to save this information to a SURVEYWin database. The Internet module is an ANSI-C program that can run on Windows 3. ix, Windows 95, Windows NT, and will soon be available for OS/2. The Internet module will compile on any UNIX system so that even users who don’t have direct access to the Internet, such as dial-in accounts, can put forms on their Web pages and gather information. The forms can be modified to include pictures, links or other information with any HTML editor.
Frost & Sullivan industry reports on-line
Market reports from Frost & Sullivan are now available on-line through the LEXIS-NEXIS services. Frost & Sullivan produces reports on more than 300 industries covering markets worldwide, including chemicals and related products; environmental equipment and services; computers, electronics and telecommunications; consumer products; instrumentation, automation, machinery and components; military electronics, transportation products; pharmaceuticals, medical devices and health care.