Babcock Australia & New Zealand

A few years ago, I built a fun data visualisation project using a Kaggle dataset of reported UFO sightings across the United States. At first glance, it sounds like a joke dataset. But once you look deeper, it becomes less about “aliens” and more about human behaviour, perception, culture, and pattern recognition. Some interesting takeaways: 👀 Sightings surged from the mid-1990s onward Likely influenced by the rise of the internet, mass information sharing, late-night forums, and pop culture moments like The X-Files and millennium-era conspiracy fascination. 🌍 California led sightings by a large margin Not because of extraterrestrials — but because of a mix of population density, aerospace/military presence, varied geography, and stronger reporting behaviour. 🌙 Most sightings happened between 8 PM and 11 PM The perfect overlap of darkness, free time, and people actually looking up. ☀️ Summer had the highest reports More outdoor activity, clearer skies, later evenings, and more people socialising outside. 🧠 The most common “shapes” were lights, circles, and triangles Which says a lot about how the human brain interprets distant or ambiguous objects. What I enjoyed most about this project was realising that even unusual datasets can reveal serious insights when viewed through the right lens. Data is rarely just about the surface topic — it often tells a broader story about society. Sometimes the best analytics projects come from the most unexpected places. #DataAnalytics #DataVisualization #StorytellingWithData #BusinessIntelligence #HumanBehaviour #Tableau #Analytics #LinkedInProjects

Working in NSW construction, you hear about SOPA all the time, but I’ve noticed many projects still get caught out by the basics. Here are 3 things every Contract Administrator should keep a close eye on under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999: 1️⃣ Payment schedules are EVERYTHING If you don’t issue a valid payment schedule within the required timeframe (typically 10 business days), you can become liable for the full claimed amount (even if it’s wrong). 2️⃣ Timeframes are tight and unforgiving Payments are generally due within: • 15 business days (principal → head contractor) • 20 business days (contractor → subcontractor) Miss these, and you can quickly find yourself at risk. 3️⃣ Your payment claim needs to be compliant A claim must clearly state it’s made under SOPA and properly identify the work and amount. Otherwise, you risk losing your entitlement altogether. SOPA is designed to keep cash flowing down the chain, but it only works if you understand the rules and stay on top of the details. Curious 🧐 what’s the most common SOPA mistake you’ve seen on your projects?