A feature of the annual conference of the OR Society is a good mix of academics and practitioners, enabling mutual sharing of insights and experiences. This issue contains three articles that arise out of presentations at the last conference, OR61, held at the University of Kent in September 2019. Another article from the conference, reporting work to support the Maritime Warfare Centre during the Exercise Joint Warrior 19-1 which took place in April last year, will appear in the Autumn issue.
The lead article in this issue tells us about work undertaken as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University of Kent and Eurostar, to add new simulation and analytical capabilities to Eurostar’s planning framework and use them to help tackle key strategic and operational business challenges.
In each issue I include an article focussing on the work of an analytical group. Our cover photo is of a British Airways Boeing 787 undergoing planned maintenance at the airline’s Cardiff engineering base, relating to the article concerning the Data Science Team at British Airways.
The third article from OR61 is, in fact, the winner of the President’s Medal, awarded for the best submitted practical application of OR. The Ministry of Justice analysis supports those making a difference in the lives of people in custody, enabling them to make more data-driven decisions to rehabilitate and support offenders and keep the public safe.
I hope you enjoy reading all the reports of how O.R. and analytics continue to make an impact. Electronic copies of all issues are available at https://issuu.com/orsimpact. For future issues of this free magazine, please subscribe at http://www.getimpactmagazine.co.uk/.
This issue contains the last of Louise Maynard-Atem’s Data Series, and, indeed, the last of her columns. Thank you, Louise, for giving us the benefits of your perspectives on various aspects of data - how we use it, how we derive insights from it and how it is shaping our society. I am very grateful.