Custom Software for individuals and small business: 2011

Soccer Statistics

This software application was developed for a consortium of individuals who had created a mathematical soccer betting model. The problem consortium members faced on a daily basis was that the data required to feed the model was obtained from multiple Internet sources and had become very time consuming. When the consortium approached me members were spending two to six hours each per day collecting the required data. Today these same consortium members spend 30 minutes each morning overseeing the software's automated processes.

Primary Results Source

The consortium's primary source of results was www.soccerway.com. The time taken to navigate to each league's results page and cut and paste the results data into their spreadsheets was very time consuming, and prone to error. Now with a single click the software's automated website navigation and data collection abilities means that the user just sits back and oversees the data quickly and accurately being collected

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Secondary Results Source

Occasionally the Primary results source (www.soccerway.com) would be delayed in the publishing of results. This meant that a secondary source of data was needed to cover any missed results from the primary source. The site chosen was www.futbol24.com and as with the primary source any missing results are collected with a single click.

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Primary Odds source

The complex mathematical model that I coded to the consortium's specifications required that accurate odds of the soccer market be known after the matches have been played so they can be fed into the system. The Primary odds source was www.betexplorer.com and with a single click the software's automated processes quickly and accurately imports the odds from all the required leagues.

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Secondary Odds source

As with the primary results source sometimes the primary odds source would delay publishing the odds so a secondary source was chosen. The selected secondary source was www.oddsportal.com and as with the primary source a single click is all that is need to collect any odds data missed by the primary source.

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Bayesian Rating page

The rating system is based on a Bayesian normalised distribution statistics engine and required a complex set of formulas to solve (see here). The formula complexity problem was solved by using and online mathematics source www.easycalculation.com. With a single click the software's automation processes submit the required inputs derived by the software and record and save the results for the next step in the overall mathematical model.

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Regression Analysis

Before the consortium started using this software this was the most time consuming part of the mathematical modeling of the data. With many hundreds of matches taking place, on some days each individual match required it's data to be analysed using spreadsheet software. Now a single click will analyse over ten years of past performance data for each league and compare the predicted result with odds being offered by Betfair a major online odds exchange an then advise whether the match should be bet as a home win, away win or a draw.

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Bet Placement

After regression analysis bet placement was the second most time consuming activity of the consortium's betting model. Betting sites require navigation to each event's betting form and the entering of required information such as stake and bet type. The software's use of a betting sites application programming interface (API) if available or automatic navigation and form submission when not available. Means that placing a bet with all it's associated information is now a single click event.

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Profit/Loss Analysis

Each consortium member monitors their own betting profit loss account via their associated betting site accounts but an overall profit loss performance of the entire betting model was required. This was previously a tedious and lengthy chore but now is achieved by a single click providing an at a glance graphical interface to provide a very accurate overall health check of the entire betting model over time. Supporting information to the graphical display is provided in the form of a statistical Chi Squared Test. As well as a break down of individual leagues financial performance.

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Online Commerce

This software/website was created for an individual who wanted to open an online e-commerce website but found the available software too complicated. It is a well know fact that modern software products suffer from 'bloat'. This is because a feature set has to be included to accommodate all users. This means that most users only ever use 10 - 20% of the features available and this makes software 80 - 90% more complicated than it needs to be.

Home page

This entire e-commerce website configures itself from a single set of database entries (see below). The website looks like any other e-commerce website except that it is many times easier to use and set up because it was written to fit the owner's specifications.

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Consoles

As with any other e-commerce package a customer simply selects the item they wish to purchase and the item appears in the customer's shopping cart.

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Games

The shopping cart can accommodate an unlimited number of items with the option of adding or removing items as required.

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Checkout

Once the customer has finished adding items to their shopping cart they can proceed to the check out and provide billing information.

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Shipping

Once billing information has been collected and the destination has been established shipping information and costs can be shown to the customer.

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Database

This entire website configures itself from a simple set of self explanatory database entries. The database chosen by the website owner was Microsoft Access as this was a very easy database to configure even for a beginner to database use.

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Home Improvement Small Business

This application was created for the owner of a hardwood flooring business, but has the potential to increase the competitive advantage of any home improvement related business. The secret of this application is recording what properties are for sale and to then detect when they are removed from the selling listings. Trying to do this manually was a tedious and very time consuming job. The proprietor would spend hours and hours going through the local newspaper ads and estate agents shop windows looking for the 'sold subject to contract' notices that estate agents sometimes post on an existing advert when a property is under a sale offer. Once the following application was developed for his business it surpassed his expectations and he now claims a 30% increase in turn over.

Property search

The proprietor's primary information source for his property search is carried out on the www.rightmove.co.uk website. The required area and price range can be entered and a listing of properties can be created and stored.

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Import Property Details

Once a list of potential target properties have been identified they can then be imported into the application's database for future reference and post sale removal detection.

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Listing Removal Detection

Once a list of potential target properties has been created and stored then any property that is then removed from the seller's listings can be identified immediately. Properties are sold on a daily basis so there are more potential target properties than you would at first think. Once a removed property has been identified useful information required by any home improvement business can be used for advantage because this information was stored before the property was removed. For example floor plans provided by the seller can now be studied to determine numbers and types of rooms and if your companies services apply to this property. Floorings (Hardwood, carpet, lino etc.) by room type and size and furniture (kitchen, bedroom, fitted or non fitted) by room type and size.

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Images

Once a sold property is identified the seller's external and internal photos can be viewed even after the property has been removed from listings because they were stored by the application previously. These photos can provide valuable information on condition of the house so the service provider can identify if their services will be required. A look at the example photo shows clearly that this property is going to require extensive remodeling and so the appropriate businesses would have clear commercial advantage over rivals with the knowledge that the property's new owners are in the market for all manner of home improvement services.

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Locate the Property

A free service called Google maps is used to identify the exact location and address of the property. When the application records the property's information it records all the location information provided by the seller. This information in association with the images provided by the seller can be used to identify the exact property. Google provides in association with google maps a service called google street view this can also be used to identify the sold property.

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Google Street View

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Automation

This application was created for an individual who had spotted a financial advantage to be had in the betting markets. This advantage could only be exploited by automated software running 24/7 at speed quicker than an individual could achieve.

Paddy Power / Betfair

This page shows www.paddypower.com one of thirty available online bookmakers. The software is shown comparing the prices of Paddy Power and www.betfair.com . When a price advantage is spotted by the software the bet is automatically placed with the bookmaker that gave the price advantages. These price advantages last for only a few seconds so software that can simultaneously monitor multiple websites and spot these advantage in a few seconds is the only way to quickly place the required bet.

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