Eugene E.

Regalado BSBA BA
BA-AN 43P September 15, 2023
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

IBM Global Center for Smarter Analytics Company Background

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is one of the most popular attractions and a Top Zoo for
Children according to Parent's Magazine. Each year, more than 1.3 million people visit its 71-
acre site, which is home to more than 500 animal and 3,000 plant species.
Although the Zoo is a non-profit organization and is partially subsidized by Hamilton County,
more than two thirds of its $26 million annual budget is generated through its own fundraising
efforts.

Cincinnati Zoo takes pride in the fact that it has the lowest public subsidy of any 200 in Ohio and
generates more than two thirds of its $26 million annual budget through its own fundraising
efforts. In challenging economic conditions, the Zoo wanted to reduce its reliance on subsidies
even further by increasing visitor attendance and revenues from secondary sources such as
membership, food and retail outlets. This would secure the Zoo's future and enable it to continue
its pioneering work in conservation, preservation and research.

Currently, Cincinnati Zoo makes use of four separate legacy point-of-sale systems with a single
platform to provide data on all admission, membership, retail and food service sales. To monitor
the number of visitors in certain areas, the zoo staff members make their rounds to observe.

You have been hired by Cincinnati Zoo to provide them with a solution that will enable them to
achieve their business objectives.

Business Objectives

1. Increase attendance and revenues by enhancing the customer experience for each visitor
2. Boost sales for food and retail outlets through more effective marketing and promotions
3. Optimize labor costs by gaining a better understanding of demand patterns throughout the
year
4. Maximize the workforce by identifying areas of the park that are in need of more staff

Questions
1. What are the problems with the existing system of the Cincinnati Zoo?
● The Cincinnati Zoo is highly based on seasonal customers and it depends on the
different seasons or weather-dependent seasons of customers.
● The needs to require centralized data management system
 ● Cincinnati Zoo needs to formalize certain strategies to secure resources that are
needed and to reduce cost and expenses.

2. What are the data that are available to the zoo management and staff?
● The Annual budget through its own fundraising efforts
● Point-of-sale systems with single platforms as follows:
○ Admission
○ Membership
○ Retail
○ Food Services Sales
● Zoo Staff Members
● Number of Visitors

3. How can these data be used to help the following perform their work better to achieve the
business objectives of the Cincinnati Zoo?
a. Zoo administrators
i. This data can be used to determine customer behavior, allowing
administrators to better understand their needs and increase sales, assess
their inventory to reduce costs, and determine where to source the
necessary labor, all of which will increase revenue.
ii. Analysis of visitor demographics by tailoring marketing initiatives and
displaying layouts to certain target markets to improve the overall visitor
experience.
iii. To determine popular products, peak selling periods, and trends, analyze
sales data from restaurants and retail establishments. Make the most of
these details to improve your menu choices and marketing tactics.
b. Zoo staff
i. They cater to the visitor and take care of their wants to enhance total
customer service, which is technically the front of the firm and usually
brings in more clients.
ii. To make sure that staffing levels correspond with visitor demand, create
predictive staffing models based on historical attendance data.
iii. To make sure that staffing levels correspond with visitor demand, create
predictive staffing models based on historical attendance data.

4. What solutions can be provided for the following stakeholders so that the business
objectives of Cincinnati Zoo are achieved? Explain in detail the proposed solution for
each stakeholder. In each solution, identify which type of analytics will be applied (i.e.,
descriptive, predictive or prescriptive).
Stakeholders Solution Type of Key Features Benefits
Analytics

Zoo Visitors Putting Predictive Personalized enhanced tourist

Predictive Analytics Itineraries: Users of experience and
Analytics into the program can enter satisfaction.
Practice for their preferences, such
Mobile Apps - as favorite animals or increased
Create a interests. Then, based customer
smartphone app on past visitor data and loyalty and
that guests may current conditions, engagement.
download and predictive analytics
utilize while at the algorithms will provide increased
zoo. Predictive a customized schedule attendance as a
analytics will be that includes suggested result of
included into the exhibits, showtimes, improved
app to give users and food alternatives. planning and
a more tailored shorter wait
and satisfying Real-time Updates: times.
experience. The app will offer up-
to-the-minute
information on show
schedules, animal
feeding schedules, and
exhibit availability.
The optimum times to
visit well-liked
destinations will be
suggested by predictive
analytics, which also
helps forecast crowd
sizes.

Interactive Map:
Visitors can use an
interactive map to get
around the zoo; it
changes routes
dependent on how long
lines are at the exhibits
and food stands at any
given time.
 Zoo Implement an Descriptive Inventory management: increased
Management integrated system Analytics Keep track of retail and profits and sales
that employs and food product sales for food and
descriptive and Prescriptive trends using descriptive retail
prescriptive Analytics analytics. Demand can businesses.
analytics to be predicted through
manage predictive analytics, decreased labor
inventory, ensuring that popular costs due to
personnel levels, commodities are well- better
and visitor flow in stocked while reducing scheduling.
real-time. Data- waste.
Driven Inventory Wait times are
and Staff Labor Optimization: decreased while
Management Create staffing plans visitor
System. based on previous experience is
attendance figures and improved.
anticipated visitor
volume. Real-time
staffing
recommendations can
be made using
prescriptive analytics,
ensuring effective
workforce allocation.

Queue Management:
Implement queue
monitoring and make
personnel adjustments
at attractions and
eateries using real-time
data. Prescriptive
analytics can suggest
actions to speed up
visitor flow and cut
down on wait times.

Zoo Staff System for Prescriptive Maps of visitor density increased

Members Monitoring Analytics that show congested resource
Visitor Density and uncrowded allocation and
and Assigning locations by tracking worker
work in Real- visitor flow in real-time effectiveness.
Time: Using with sensors and
prescriptive cameras. Then, reduced wait
analytics, develop according to necessity, times and
a system for prescriptive analytics cleaner facilities
tracking visitors can assign personnel to improve visitor
in real-time and these areas. experience.
assigning work to
staff members in Queue Management: Employees can
accordance with The system can direct concentrate on
that information. tourists to less busy tasks that
places or suggest the analytics have
deployment of shown are
additional workers to important.
shorten lines at popular
attractions.

Maintenance Alerts:
Sensors are able to
instantly identify the
need for maintenance
(such as cleaning or
repairs) and may then
assign the necessary
duties to the
appropriate staff
members.