In short
- Nedap used to be a Dutch Equipment Factory, but they have been more and more focused on developing and applying software in recent years.
- AI plays an important role in software, and you need several elements to make it applicable.
Global Goal
Director Ruben Wegman: “We were good at putting things together, as an equipment factory. We still do that, but we have increasingly shifted from hardware to software. Artificial Intelligence plays a big role in this.”
Applying AI requires several elements, says Wegman. “First of all, you need to know what you are talking about when it comes to AI – you need to have sufficient technical knowledge. You also need domain knowledge; you need to know what happens in a specific market in great detail. You will also get nowhere without enough usable data, and financial resources are important, too. And finally: entrepreneurship. You have to be able to come up with scalable propositions and valuable projects.”
According to Wegman, AI hub East Netherlands should help parties with meeting these five requirements. “What do parties or projects lack, and how can the hub contribute? The hub should make the right connections for this. Look at it as a service desk or a place that connects. Many entrepreneurs need such a centre, an accessible place that gives you access to the rest of the AI system. The hub also brings education and business closer together.”
Nedap is being led by the market more and more so that they can develop what is needed. The company does not work with management layers; freedom and responsibility for the employee are essential. Wegman: “We are less domain-specific and more hybrid, too. We look at what the market needs.”
The technology company does have a few target groups on the market, of which the healthcare sector is an important one. Thomas Markus, Data science manager at Nedap: “There is increasing pressure on specialised staff in healthcare. This can be partly solved with the right training and partly with technology.”
An example is the application of Ons Wondzorg (Our Wound Care), which monitors wounds. A nurse can use our app to take pictures and analyse the wound instead of having to describe it. The app monitors if the wound is healing correctly and indicates if it is necessary to call in a specialist. Leaving this analysis to technology saves time and creates space for more attention and better care.
Thomas Markus: “There’s a lot of data in healthcare, but it is not always entered in a structured way. Healthcare organisations can more easily discover trends when this data becomes more accessible. Whether the number of diabetes patients or people with dementia is increasing or decreasing, for example.”
Ruben Wegman: “Healthcare systems have a lot of usable data, but there is another challenge. Not all of this data is available due to privacy concerns. This is a perfect example of something that AI hub East Netherlands and the overarching Dutch AI Coalition can help with.”
Date: 30 July 2021 |
Source of tekst: AI-hub Oost Nederland |