An Actuarial Toolkit

Nigel De Silva

Toolkit Working Party 2006

A new language?

wiki

blogging

Technorati

del.icio.us

RSS

OPML

SharpReader

RopenBUGS

wikipedia

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

Firefox

Toolkit Working Party

Change: Actuary 2.0

Web 2.0: Some useful tools

An Actuarial Toolkit

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

Toolkit Working Party

Launched at GIRO 2005

Terms of reference Search out and promulgate useful tools for the profession Suggest how the tools may be used Trial these tools Work on an external wiki Focus on education (in bit sized chunks) as well as research

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

Change: are we ready?

Operates in a rapidly changing environment driven from within forced by regulators demanded by clients wider fields

Morris Review Profession too insular Needs greater focus on CPD

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

CPD for CDP

There is a large gap between research and practice.

We need examples to help turn theory into practice

The Continuously Developing Profession

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

The New Breed: Actuary 2.0

Needs to: Pick the best tool for the job Use those tools effectively Engage other professions Be aware of recent developments in many

fields Share knowledge and experience

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

Web 2.0

A quiet revolution

The era of personal- or participatory media

Aims to harness collective intelligence

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

Are we ready?

• Discussion forums already exist on our professions’ websites.

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

SA UK US

Area All Ins Ins

Last "post" Dec 2005 Sep 2004 Jun 2006 (current)

Number of "posts"Actuarial 11 4 593 Educational 1 - 10,966 Other - - 87,011 Total 12 4 98,570

Web 2.0: Some useful tools

1. Wikis – The Toolkit Wiki

2. RSS Feeds

3. del.icio.us

4. Blogs

5. Open source software – R

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

Wikis

• Users free to edit web pages

• www.wikipedia.com

• Ideal for: – sharing knowledge– collaboration on projects

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The Toolkit Wiki: http://toolkit.pbwiki.com

Easy to edit/create pages – have a go in the Sandbox!

Password: GIRO

Great for working parties.

Future is over to you.

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

Staying informed

• RSS Feeds

• RSS Aggregators

• Create your own newspaper

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Locating Information

• Search engines

• del.icio.us– Online bookmark manager– Tagging– Useful search results– Find related websites– Profession’s reading lists

del.icio.us

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

Blogging

• Online personal journal (web log)

• Good for staying up to date with current issues– E.g. www.realclimate.org

• Some actuaries have started to blog:– www.actuary.net

• Blog search:

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Open Source Software

• Collaboration can yield incredible results– Much web infrastructure is built on open-source

software

• Useful products include:

BUGS

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

• Free statistical package

• Fantastic graphics

• Great for simulations

• R Toolkit: Examples for Actuaries

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Summary

Rapidly changing environment

Adapt and collaborate

Toolkit Wiki is one forum to enable this collaboration…

… please help us build it into a useful resource

Introduction Web 2.0: Useful ToolsChange: Actuary 2.0

http://toolkit.pbwiki.com

Nigel De Silva

Toolkit Working Party 2006