Youhave been predicted — by companies, governments, law enforcement,hospitals, and universities. Their computers say, "I knew you were goingto do that!" These institutions are seizing upon the power to predictwhether you're going to click, buy, lie, or die.Why? For goodreason: predicting human behavior combats financial risk, fortifieshealthcare, conquers spam, toughens crime fighting, and boosts sales.How?Prediction is powered by the world's most potent, booming unnaturalresource: data. Accumulated in large part as the by-product of routinetasks, data is the unsalted, flavorless residue deposited en masse asorganizations churn away. Surprise! This heap of refuse is a gold mine.Big data embodies an extraordinary wealth of experience from which tolearn.Predictive analytics unleashes the power of data. Withthis technology, the computer literally learns from data how to predictthe future behavior of individuals. Perfect prediction is not possible,but putting odds on the future — lifting a bit of the fog off our hazyview of tomorrow — means pay dirt.In this rich, entertainingprimer, former Columbia University professor and Predictive AnalyticsWorld founder Eric Siegel reveals the power and perils of prediction:-What type of mortgage risk Chase Bank predicted before the recession.-Predicting which people will drop out of school, cancel asubscription, or get divorced before they are even aware of itthemselves.-Why early retirement decreases life expectancy and vegetarians miss fewer flights.-Five reasons why organizations predict death, including one health insurance company.-How U.S. Bank, European wireless carrier Telenor, and Obama's 2012campaign 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 ascertain untold, private truths — how Target figuresout you're pregnant and Hewlett-Packard deduces you're about to quityour job.-How judges and parole boards rely on crime-predicting computers to decide who stays 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, andWikipedia.A truly omnipresent science, predictive analyticsaffects everyone, every day. Although largely unseen, it drives millionsof decisions, determining whom to call, mail, investigate, incarcerate,set up on a date, or medicate.Predictive analytics transcendshuman perception. This book's final chapter answers the riddle: Whatoften happens to you that cannot be witnessed, and that you can't evenbe sure has happened afterward — but that can be predicted in advance?Whether you are a consumer of it — or consumed by it — get a handle on the power ofPredictive Analytics.