Big data stumbles

• Autores: Hal Hodson
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2961, 2014, pág. 24
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Last week, a study revealed that Google's much-hyped flu tracker, Google Flu Trends, has consistently overestimated flu cases in the US for the past three years. Meanwhile, concerns over privacy following last year's NSA scandal have thrown a spotlight on the sector. Pres Barack Obama has ordered White House adviser John Podesta to head up a review into the risks posed by big data. The first of three conferences examining its legal, technical and sociological implications took place this month at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. David Lazer and his team at Northeastern University in Boston found that the system had been consistently overestimating flu-related visits since 2011, and was particularly inaccurate at the peak of flu season--when such data is most useful.