SAS Innovate On Tour Madrid 2024
The event SAS Innovate On Tour Madrid was held on the 28 and 29 May in Madrid. On its second and last day, Riu Plaza España Hotel bore witness to a significant meeting in the field of technology and innovation in Spain, particularly for those at the vanguard of digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
This event was not only a forum to explore the latest trends and applications in data science but also a meeting place for thought leaders, experts and industry professionals.
For our part, as sponsors of the meeting and historical partners of SAS, we were delighted to participate in this meeting. Innova-tsn, known for our commitment to innovation and technological excellence, has been collaborating with SAS since our beginnings, a relationship that goes back 20 years.
During the opening presentation, presentations from the company’s leaders: Guilherme Reis, General Manager of SAS Spain and Portugal, Patrick Xhonneux, Senior Vice President & Marketing and Michele Eggers, Vice President of Marketing Shared Services, put stress on SAS’s Vision for the Future in the field of Generative AI, gave an introduction to Models as a Product and highlighted their company’s latest innovations, not only in terms of speed and performance, but also in terms of their great value in improving processes and operational efficiency, including from the developer’s point of view, with a presentation by Federica Citterio, SAS Senior Data Scientist: “Developer Experience.”
Federica Citterio during her talk: "Developer Experience: productivity and value with SAS”
To put the finishing touch to this cast of SAS professionals, we had the opportunity to witness engineer, magician and mentalist Jorge Luengo‘s fun show, who unveiled all the magic hidden in AI live and direct as we had never imagined.
After leaving us open-mouthed with his magical show, it was time for the parallel sessions, where several renowned speakers shared their experiences and knowledge about the practical application of SAS solutions in their respective organisations.
For instance, the Madrid City Council stressed how they rely on SAS to design smart taxes which optimise tax management and improve services to citizens. Likewise, the Canary Islands Statistics Institute (ISTAC) illustrated its use of digital models and twins to optimise micro-decisions, an initiative that underlines precision and customisation in statistical data management.
The Ministry of Health also played a prominent role by examining their current and future experience with AI, projecting a future where these technologies play a crucial role in the transformation of healthcare services in Spain.
It was the turn of the Data4Good presentation: AI applied to paediatrics and sustainability, where, first, Dr. Isabel Cabral, Administrator manager, ULSLO – Unidad Local Salude Lisboa Occidental, together with Joao Boavida, SAS Senior Analytics Customer Advisory, told the story of the project they carried out for the SAS Hackathon on the detection of early sepsis in newborns, highlighting the positive social impact of advanced technologies.
For our part, Begoña Vega, Head of AI Models & Applications at Innova-tsn, had the opportunity to talk in detail about the Madrid Bicimad Service Optimisation project by our team Innova Data Hub, which was the winner in the energy category of the SAS Hackathon 2022, and was also among the three best projects in the IoT category.
This project is capable of knowing and forecasting the demand for bicycles and their return to the parking stations, with the idea of studying and suggesting possible improvements in the management of the replacement of bicycles.
Begoña Vega during her presentation of the project “Bicimad Service Optimisation”
Each from their expertise reaffirmed the relevance of an ethical and responsible approach to data exploitation, ensuring that technological innovation is aligned with the principles of citizen service and continuous improvement.
Begoña’s talk closed the panel of parallel sessions and gave way to the cocktail and networking, which brought these two days of synergies and innovation to a close.
In short, SAS Innovate On Tour Madrid significantly contributed to the discussion on how technology can improve both public and business services, putting stress on the importance of generative artificial intelligence and smart taxes in the improvement of operating efficiency and decision-making.
This event not only provided a space for learning and collaboration and discussion, but also reaffirmed technology and business leaders’ commitment to ethical and effective digital transformation.
From Innova-tsn, we would like to extend our most sincere thanks to SAS for organising this meeting, as well as to all the attendees, as the discussions that arise at events such as SAS Innovate On Tour on trends and challenges in the sector in the field of AI, promote the exchange of ideas and help and encourage us to continue researching, learning and growing.
