Predictive Analytics and Data Mining

Preface

According to the technology consulting group Gartner, most emerging technologies go through what they term the “hype cycle.” This is a way of contrasting the amount of hyperbole or hype versus the productivity that is engendered by the emerging technology. The hype cycle has three main phases: peak of inflated expectation, trough of disillusionment, and plateau of productivity. The third phase refers to the mature and value-generating phase of any technology. The hype cycle for predictive analytics (at the time of this writing) indicates that it is in this mature phase.

Does this imply that the field has stopped growing or has reached a saturation point? Not at all. On the contrary, this discipline has grown beyond the scope of its initial ...