With his new book “Social Physics” Alexander Pentland delivered a new foundation for the understanding and use of  Big Data. The results and learnings he delivered clearly make Pentland a leader in this field. 

From his work can be drawn that most issues do not require large sample interviews but that in can be calculated from data instead. He developed polydimensional and complex algorithms from the learnings he drew over the years from his analyses – in order to ask the right questions and to carefully separate causation and correlation where necessary. His work shows that the indicators of interaction density, interdisciplinarity, mixing and mingling, communication, diversiy etc. of a city their GUP (Gross Urban Product) can be predicted with hight accuracy. This validates his models and work, which he also applies to teams, businesses, industries etc.

His research shows that cosed, rigid systems with little interaction and exchange, will impoverish and those with lots of interaction and diversity will flourish, innovate and prosper.

This introduction is indeed a mustsee as it opens a new view on opportunitites and the world.

More about Dr. Alexander Pentland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Pentland

Foto credits: “Alex Pentland, MIT (3238517166)” by Robert Scoble from Half Moon Bay, USA – Alex Pentland, MITUploaded by Magnus Manske. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.