Published in News

New tracking tool predicts where you will be

by on18 July 2013

Apparently I will be in the pub

New tracking software knows exactly where you'll be on a precise time and date years into the future. Dubbed Far Out the software tracks people using GPS to learn their routine. It then makes predictions about where that person will be in future years It can react to changes in jobs, relationships and moving house.

Apparently the results are 'highly accurate' and can plot locations to the date. The software comes from Microsoft and Google research which can can predict where a person will be years from now. The software uses GPS systems carried by volunteers and fitted to the transport they used on a daily basis, the researchers were able to plot around 150 million location points.

Far Out can also automatically discover when someone veers from this routine. The program will plot these changes, learn from them, and adapt accordingly. Although the idea is somewhat creepy, it can be used to predict rises in populations, the spread of disease, traffic and broadband demand.

For what it is worth we can’t see how a computer programme could gather enough data to pick the random nature of my life movements.

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