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Predictive Analytics: The Power To Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, Or Die (2013)

by Eric Siegel(Favorite Author)

3.6 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1118356853 (ISBN13: 9781118356852)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

John Wiley & Sons

review 1: I didn't like this book as much as Nate Sliver's The signal and the noise book. The two both cover the topic of prediction but this book is more narrowly focused on the idea of predictive analytics. Siegel's book discusses a lot of different applications but there is not enough meat to the examples to really understand what is being done to build the analytical model for the particular application. So this would be a good book for someone to learn of different areas to which analytics can be applied but not need more details on how to actually apply predictive analytics to a problem. In that sense, this is more targeted to the executive and because I already have some knowledge of analytics, it didn't appeal too much to me.
review 2: Here's an entertaining book... more on a trendy topic: predictive analytics. If you've heard the terms big data, data mining or data analytics and want to know what all of the hype is about, this is a good place to start.Eric Siegel is one of the experts in this field and he clearly has a passion for this topic. Dr. Siegel takes the reader through a basic understanding of what predictive analytics. First, he describes how the incredible wealth of data generated by our ever increasing use of information technology could be a veritable gold mine for businesses, governments and even individuals. He then discusses what it means to help a machine learn, a process that is at the heart of effective analytics. He also gives examples of how machine learning can be done poorly (especially through "over-learning") and mistakes that can be made by drawing incorrect cause-effect assumptions.Most of the book is taken up with examples and applications of predictive analytics in fields as diverse as health care, insurance, entertainment, banking, crime fighting, politics and more. Siegel writes in a breezy style and the book is easy to read and understand. He uses examples and imagery that allow even the non-technical reader to grasp what each of the techniques he describes is all about.If I had one complaint it is that Siegel's writing is almost too breezy. It feels at times like there are a lot of inside jokes and silly comments that distract from the through-line of the book. If you've ever had a college professor who was addicted to puns or liked to tell funny stories at every class session, you might have a sense of what reading Siegel is like.Nonetheless, it's a minor complaint in light of how much this book does right. Siegel demystifies predictive analytics and helps the layperson understand something about this incredible tool that will likely influence all of our lives in ways we can't even imagine over the next century. He's clearly an advocate and a fan of predictive analytics, but he also points out the potential pitfalls, weaknesses and even limitations of the tools he describes. This is a quick read and I recommend it for anyone with even a passing interest in this topic. less

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