Formation | 2015 |
---|---|
Founder | Alyssa A. Goodman |
Type | Research |
Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
Services | Educational Courses, Interactive Forums |
Affiliations | Harvard University |
Website | predictionx.org |
PredictionX, also known as The Prediction Project, is an international predictive-methods research project and a modular learning experience that traces humanity's effort to understand the future from ancient rituals to the scientific revolution to modern predictive simulations.[1] PredictionX was founded by Robert Wheeler Willson Professor of Applied Astronomy Alyssa A. Goodman at Harvard University. The Prediction Project creates, collects, and curates materials documenting and analyzing how humans have predicted their futures over time.[2]
PredictionX offers materials in Prediction Essentials, Omens & Oracles, Rise of Theory, and Modern Prediction.[3]
Prediction Essentials introduces members to the Predictive Systems Framework to view the various types of predictive systems models, the "Padua Rainbow" that demonstrates the steps from observation of phenomenon to establishing a predictive system, and the statistical modeling of uncertainty through the Puck Simulation.
Omens & Oracles covers the various cultural predictive systems of ancient civilizations around the world. This module uses archeological archives to understand the earliest ways that humans attempted to predict the future using random, randomized, human, and non-random observations.[4][5]
Covered predictive systems include:
The Rise of Theory module follows various scholars through the transition from mystical divination to the scientific method as a form of pattern estimation.
The Path to Newton is an interactive timeline that covers the various scholars, concepts, and civilizations that led to Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity. The Path to Newton follows the exchange of intellectual information across many centuries throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe that culminated to an academic environment that allowed for Newton to establish a solidified theory of gravity. The Path of Newton is created using the Omni Group's OmniGraffle software.
The John Snow and Cholera lesson follows John Snow’s, often considered the Father of Epidemiology, process to discover the source of a cholera outbreak in Victorian Era London. With support from the British Royal Society, the project looks through the archives of Snow's work to understand the changes in behavior, belief, and medical knowledge that stopped London's cholera epidemic.[6]
Lost Without Longitude works to understand navigation as a form of prediction. With the support of the Harvard History of Science archives, this lesson looks at early tools of navigators, predictive maps, and the economic and political influences of early long-distance travel.[7]
The Modern Prediction module explores the various ways in which predictive systems have embedded themselves into everyday life. Covering topics such as Earth, Health, Space, Wealth, and The Future of the Future, PredictionX sits with experts in diverse fields to understand how uncertainty and predictability impact our modern societies.
Guests include: