In July, we hosted a webinar titled "Talk to Your Data and See it on the Map: Conversational BI with Pyramid Analytics." It featured Cris Byers, Head of Product for Search at Mapbox, and Joe Beaubien, Vice President of Global Solution Engineering at Pyramid Analytics. 

The session explored how Pyramid Analytics uses Mapbox to build a leading business intelligence (BI) platform, empowering customers to gain valuable insights from their data.

Cris Byers kicked off the webinar with a poll to understand the diverse industries and job functions of our global audience. He welcomed participants from a wide range of roles including data analysts, business analysts, data engineers, product managers, engineering leaders, and C-suite executives.

Cris introduced himself, sharing his extensive experience in geospatial intelligence, and welcomed Joe Beaubien to the session. Joe, based in St. Louis, Missouri, provided a brief background on his 15-year career in analytics and his role at Pyramid Analytics.

An overview of Pyramid Analytics

Joe shared more details about Pyramid Analytics, an award-winning Business & Decision Intelligence Platform, highlighting its unique approach to unifying data prep, data science, and analytics into a single platform. He emphasized how Pyramid Analytics addresses the fragmented ecosystem of data within organizations by integrating various data sources and enabling efficient, scalable analysis. 

Joe explained that Pyramid's platform was designed to bridge the gap between disparate data operations, offering a comprehensive solution for businesses across different industries.

Mapbox tools for business intelligence

In the next section, Cris discussed how Mapbox contributes to the business intelligence landscape by offering tools for data ingestion, visualization, and analysis. He highlighted Mapbox solutions for geospatial boundaries, geocoding and search, which help to standardize and enrich data before it enters BI platforms.

Cris also described advanced visualization tools from Mapbox, including isochrones and Movement Data, which enhance the understanding and presentation of complex data sets.

“We have Mapbox fully integrated into our platform. Most analytics platforms have some type of mapping partnership, and I know Mapbox is very popular in the BI space. Mapping helps enhance the business intelligence experience in several ways. I love using maps to drive analysis. I want to be able to have a very high-level view that shows me what's going on." -Joe Beaubien,VP of Global Solution Engineering, Pyramid Analytics

Joe also highlighted the value of incorporating location intelligence into BI platforms using Mapbox mapping solutions. He explained how maps can drive analysis by providing a high-level overview and enabling detailed drill-downs to specific locations. Joe noted that maps enhance the visual communication of data, making it easier for users to understand and act on insights.

Fireside chat: Business intelligence industry challenges and solutions

In the fireside chat between Cris and Joe, they talked about the current challenges and trends in the BI industry. Joe pointed out that despite the abundance of data, organizations often struggle to extract meaningful insights due to fragmented data sources and inefficient data processing. He stressed the importance of a platform that can seamlessly integrate and analyze data without requiring extensive data movement.

Cris and Joe also discussed the significance of generative BI (GenBI) in revolutionizing data analysis. Joe explained how Pyramid's GenBI platform leverages large language models (LLMs) to automate data analysis and provide actionable insights. He emphasized the need for a multi-LLM strategy to address specific use cases and ensure secure, efficient data processing.

GenBI live demo: Talk to your data and see it on the map

Joe delivered an impressive live demo of Pyramid's GenBI capabilities and use cases. He showcased the power of the interactive BI platform, performing real-time business analysis through natural language requests and conversations. 

He asked, “show me New England sales and focus on cities within 200 miles of New York with sales over $10,000” and even “What's happening in California”? The map instantly responded with detailed sales results and business analysis. If you'd like to watch the webinar demo, tune in at the 18:30 minute mark.

Key takeaways from the webinar

• Pyramid Analytics unifies data prep, data science, and analytics into a single platform, addressing the fragmented data ecosystem within organizations.
• Mapbox enhances BI platforms with tools for data ingestion, visualization, and analysis, including advanced mapping solutions.
• GenBI and LLMs add exciting new features for automating data analysis and providing actionable insights.
• Location intelligence, facilitated by Mapbox, adds a valuable dimension to BI, enabling detailed, visual analysis of data.

The webinar concluded with a lively Q&A session, where attendees shared insightful questions and sparked engaging discussions.

Thank you to everyone who attended the webinar. For those who missed it, you can find the recording here. Stay tuned for more insights and updates from Mapbox and Pyramid Analytics.

Curious about Mapbox Boundaries flat files? Watch our short demo to learn more, or request your free sample data to start exploring.