TCS launches smartphone app to drive social media analytics on the UK elections

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) today launched ElectUK, a smartphone application that will allow users to track, analyse and visualise Twitter conversations about the 2015 UK General Election.

ElectUK has been created to engage voters, their representatives and political commentators by turning their smartphone into a Big Data social media analytics tool. The app is free to download and is available on both iOS and Android devices.

ElectUK uses data taken directly from Twitter and analyses millions of tweets about, and from, the political parties, candidates and the electorate in the 2015 UK General Election.

This data is run through TCS' PeriVista Big Data analytics software and delivered to the application as a range of share-able graphics. The app is based on a database of more than two thousand parliamentary candidates, allowing users to compare sentiment and trends, including the issues of highest importance in the debate.

Last year's Scottish referendum demonstrated the importance of social media as an engagement tool, with more than 10 million Facebook interactions taking place in the build-up to the vote.  Research indicates that it will play a role in the UK General Election as well, especially with younger voters. According to a recent survey, 37 per cent of 18-34 year olds will use Twitter to actively look for information related to the general election.

''ElectUK has been created to showcase the potential uses of TCS' Digital and Big Data technologies going beyond business,'' said Shankar Narayanan, country head, UK & Ireland, TCS.

He said, ''The app is a great example of how TCS can combine Big Data analytics, social, mobile and cloud, to deliver valuable insight on matters of relevance to the society at large.

"ElectUK uses Big Data to give voters, politicians and commentators greater insight into the online conversations shaping the election debate, in an easy-to-consume, interactive and visual way. We hope ElectUK encourages UK voters to engage with the process. We've even included a button to help people register to vote, because we believe that digital technology can and should help bring about a more informed and engaged voter.''

Satya Ramaswamy, global head of TCS Digital Enterprise, Tata Consultancy Services, said  ''Digital is indeed a formidable force which can benefit the community. ElectUK demonstrates how Digital technologies can be used to deliver real insights, directly into the hands of users. The app is powered by TCS' PeriVista Big Data analytics technology, which was created to help businesses combine previously siloed datasets from within and outside into an accurate and comprehensive view of customers. By using social media data to drive actionable insights, organisations can put customer feedback at the heart of their businesses. This has huge potential for everything from product design and marketing to customer service and sales.''

ElectUK is the latest social analytics application from TCS, with the company having previously created similar apps to analyse social data around the 2014 Indian election and the FIFA 2014 World Cup. 

Acording to Philip Carnelley, research director, IDC, commented, ''3rd platform technologies are transforming communications for consumers, business and governments. TCS' ElectUK app is an interesting example where TCS has re-imagined the usage of mobile, big data, social and cloud in the context of an event which touches everyone in the UK.''