Methods, systems, articles of manufacture and apparatus to monitor auditing devices

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to monitor auditing devices. An example apparatus includes a workload analyzer to obtain alert data related to a potential new product from an auditing device, and a product analyzer to identify a product within the alert data to determine if the product has been previously identified by another auditing device. In response to determining that the product has not been previously identified, the example apparatus includes an alert analyzer to cluster the alert data based on characteristics associated with an auditor profile of the auditing device, and determine a probability of transmitting the alert data to other auditing devices based on the clustered alert data. The example apparatus also includes an alert authorizer to suppress the alert data from being transmitted to the other auditing devices to reduce an amount of network resources required for subsequent processing when the probability does not satisfy a threshold.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . An electronic device to analyze alert data comprising:
 means for analyzing a workload to:
 obtain the alert data from a first audit device associated with a first auditor profile, the alert data associated with a first workload; 
 determine if a product represented in the alert data is included in a second workload; 
 when the product is associated with the second workload, transmit a first indication to cause suppression of the alert data; 
   means for analyzing a product to:
 when the product is not included in the second workload, determine if the product is represented in an at least one of an image or text in the alert data; 
 at least one of (a) search the image against an image database to identify a reference image that includes the product, or (b) search the text in the alert data against a message database to identify reference text that includes the product; and 
 when the product is identified in at least one of the reference image or the reference text, transmit a second indication to cause the suppression of the alert data; and 
   means for authorizing transmission of the alert data to reduce an amount of work on a network resource by determining whether to (a) transmit the alert data to a second audit device or (b) suppress the alert data to prevent transmission of the alert data to the second audit device.   
     
     
         3 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the alert data is in an alert message. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the means for analyzing the workload is to:
 receive a request to audit the product, the request including tasks associated with the audit;   determine a skill level associated with the first auditor profile by identifying at least one characteristic associated the first auditor profile in an auditor profile database;   suppress ones of the tasks in the request based on the skill level associated with the first auditor profile to generate the first workload; and   transmit the first workload to the first audit device.   
     
     
         5 . The electronic device of  claim 4 , wherein the request to audit the product includes a number of audit stops, and wherein the processor circuitry suppresses the first workload based on the number of stops and an efficiency characteristic associated with the first auditor profile. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the means for analyzing the workload is to:
 receive a report from the first audit device, the report including metrics associated with an execution of the first workload; and   update the first auditor profile by associating the metrics associated with the execution of the first workload with the first auditor profile in an auditor profile database.   
     
     
         7 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the text includes a product name associated with the product, and wherein the means for analyzing the product is to search the text in the alert data against the message database using a text recognition algorithm. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the alert data is first alert data, further including means for analyzing an alert to:
 when the product is not identified in the at least one of the reference image or the reference text, search the first alert data representing the product against an alert database to determine if second alert data that represents the product has been previously transmitted; and   when the second alert data has been previously transmitted, transmit a third indication to cause the suppression of the first alert data.   
     
     
         9 . The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the means for authorizing transmission of the alert data is to determine to suppress the alert data in response to receiving one of the first indication, the second indication, or the third indication. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the means for analyzing the alert is to, when the first alert data has not been previously transmitted, determine a probability of transmitting the first alert data to a second audit device based on at least one characteristic associated with the first auditor profile. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic device of  claim 10 , wherein the probably of transmitting the alert data to the second audit device is indicative of a reliability measure associated with the first audit profile;
 wherein the means for analyzing the alert is to determine the probability by:
 identifying characteristics associated with a plurality of auditor profiles in an auditor profile database; 
 clustering the auditor profiles based on the characteristics; 
 for a first characteristic of the characteristics, applying a logistic regression algorithm to a first cluster generate the probability; and 
   wherein the means for authorizing transmission of the alert data determines to transmit the alert data to the second auditing device in response to determining that the probability reaches a threshold value.   
     
     
         12 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , further including means for generating a product reference to:
 generate a new product reference image corresponding to the product, the new product reference image including at least one of an image or text in the alert data; and   add the new product reference image to an image database.   
     
     
         13 . The electronic device of  claim 12 , wherein the means for generating a product reference is to, prior to generating the new product reference image, generate a request to authorize the new product reference image. 
     
     
         14 . The electronic device of  claim 2 , wherein the electronic device is a component of a central server. 
     
     
         15 . At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause processor circuitry to at least:
 obtain alert data from a first audit device associated with a first auditor profile, the alert data associated with a first workload, the alert data including an indication of a product;   identify whether the product indicated in the alert data is associated with a second workload;   when the product indicated in the alert data is not associated with a second workload:
 determine if the product is represented in an at least one of an image or text in the alert data; 
 at least one of (a) search the image against an image database to identify a reference image that includes the product, or (b) search the text in the alert data against a message database to identify reference text that includes the product; 
 when the product is identified in at least one of the reference image or the reference text, generate an indication to cause suppression of the alert data; and 
   reduce an amount of work on a network resource by determining whether to (a) transmit the alert data to a second audit device or (b) suppress the alert data to prevent transmission of the alert data to the second audit device.   
     
     
         16 . The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor circuitry to:
 receive a request to audit the product, the request including tasks associated with the audit;   determine a skill level associated with the first auditor profile by identifying at least one characteristic associated the first auditor profile in an auditor profile database;   suppress ones of the tasks in the request based on the skill level associated with the first auditor profile to generate the first workload; and   transmit the first workload to the first audit device.   
     
     
         17 . The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the alert data is first alert data, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor circuitry to:
 when the product is not identified in the at least one of the reference image or the reference text, search the first alert data representing the product against an alert database to determine if second alert data that represents the product has been previously transmitted; and   when the second alert data has been previously transmitted, transmit a third indication to cause the suppression of the first alert data.   
     
     
         18 . The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor circuitry to, when the first alert data has not been previously transmitted, determine a probability of transmitting the first alert data to a second audit device based on at least one characteristic associated with the first auditor profile. 
     
     
         19 . The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor circuitry to determine to suppress the alert data in response to receiving one of the first indication, the second indication, or the third indication. 
     
     
         20 . The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor circuitry to:
 generate a new product reference image corresponding to the product, the new product reference image including at least one of an image or text in the alert data; and   add the new product reference image to an image database.   
     
     
         21 . A method comprising:
 obtaining alert data from a first audit device associated with a first auditor profile, the alert data associated with a first workload, the alert data including an indication of a product;   identifying whether the product indicated in the alert data is associated with a second workload;   when the product indicated in the alert data is not associated with a second workload:
 determining if the product is represented in an at least one of an image or text in the alert data; 
 at least one of (a) searching the image against an image database to identify a reference image that includes the product, or (b) searching the text in the alert data against a message database to identify reference text that includes the product; 
 when the product is identified in at least one of the reference image or the reference text, generating an indication to cause suppression of the alert data; and 
   reducing an amount of work on a network resource by determining whether to (a) transmit the alert data to a second audit device or (b) suppress the alert data to prevent transmission of the alert data to the second audit device.