Newly-Developed Far Out Software Will Predict Future

Researchers at Google and Microsoft have come up with a new software that they claim will predict where you will be in five years' time, even if you don’t know it yourself. The software, titled Far Out, is based on statistical research that makes use of GPS data and can also incorporate life changes such as new jobs, marriages and moving house into the calculation. Adam Sadilek and John Krumm from Google and Microsoft tested the software on 300 residents in Seattle and attached them with GPS tracking devices for three months, or a total of 32,000 days.

By using more than 150 million data points, it was able to predict about the participants’ daily lives with near enough accuracy. The researchers said that one of the reasons why Far Out was close enough to accurate was because majority of the people were overwhelmingly predictable.

“For example, [Far Out] might notice that Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually about the same and fairly consistent from week to week. Then when we ask about a future Tuesday or Thursday, the algorithm automatically produces a typical Tuesday/Thursday as a prediction. If there is a sharp transition, such as a move to another city, the system notices there is a discrepancy between its predictions and actual data and adapts to the new patterns. Most people have only a few ‘revolutionary’ changes in the course of their lives, so Far Out isn't caught off guard too often”, the researchers said.



Source-Medindia