Predictive Analytics - The Power to Predict Who Will Click

Predictive Analytics, the Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie,or Die--------------------------------------------------"""The Freakonomics of big data."" -- Stein Kretsinger , founding executive"" of Advertising.com" easily understood by all readers. Rather than a ""how to"" for hands-on"techies, the book entices lay-readers and experts alike by coveringnew case studies and the latest state-of-the-art techniques. You havebeen predicted -- by companies, governments, law enforcement, hospitals," and universities. Their computers say, ""I knew you were going to do"" that!"" These institutions are seizing upon the power to predict whether"you're going to click, buy, lie, or die. Why? For good reason: predictinghuman behavior combats financial risk, fortifies healthcare, conquersspam, toughens crime fighting, and boosts sales. How? Prediction ispowered by the world's most potent, booming unnatural resource: data.Accumulated in large part as the by-product of routine tasks, datais the unsalted, flavorless residue deposited en masse as organizationschurn away. Surprise! This heap of refuse is a gold mine. Big dataembodies an extraordinary wealth of experience from which to learn. Predictive analytics unleashes the power of data. With this technology, the computer literally learns from data how to predict the futurebehavior of individuals. Perfect prediction is not possible, but puttingodds on the future -- lifting a bit of the fog off our hazy view oftomorrow -- means pay dirt. In this rich, entertaining primer, formerColumbia University professor and Predictive Analytics World founderEric Siegel reveals the power and perils of prediction: What type ofmortgage risk Chase Bank predicted before the recession. Predictingwhich people will drop out of school, cancel a subscription, or getdivorced before they are even aware of it themselves. Why early retirementdecreases life expectancy and vegetarians miss fewer flights. Fivereasons why organizations predict death, including one health insurancecompany. How U.S. Bank, European wireless carrier Telenor, and Obama's2012 campaign calculated the way to most strongly influence each individual.How IBM's Watson computer used predictive modeling to answer questions and beat the human champs on TV's Jeopardy! How companies ascertainuntold, private truths -- how Target figures out you're pregnant andHewlett-Packard deduces you're about to quit your job. How judgesand parole boards rely on crime-predicting computers to decide whostays in prison and who goes free. What's predicted by the BBC, Citibank,ConEd, Facebook, Ford, Google, IBM, the IRS, Match.com, MTV, Netflix,Pandora, PayPal, Pfizer, and Wikipedia. A truly omnipresent science,predictive analytics affects everyone, every day. Although largelyunseen, it drives millions of decisions, determining whom to call,mail, investigate, incarcerate, set up on a date, or medicate. Predictiveanalytics transcends human perception. This book's final chapter answersthe riddle: What often happens to you that cannot be witnessed, andthat you can't even be sure has happened afterward -- but that canbe predicted in advance? Whether you are a consumer of it -- or consumedby it -- get a handle on the power of Predictive Analytics .--------------------------------------------------Author Biography: ERIC SIEGEL, PhD, founder of Predictive AnalyticsWorld and Executive Editor of the Predictive Analytics Times , makesthe how and why of predictive analytics understandable and captivating.Eric is a former Columbia University professor--who used to sing educationalsongs to his students--and a renowned speaker, educator, and leaderin the field.