Google’s Predict and Prevent

Just back from two days of presentations and meetings with the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). Curiously, was discussing my research into knowledge ecosystems at the same time that Google announced its Predict and Prevent initiative.

In a nutshell, Google’s Predict and Prevent initiative (http://google.org/predict.html) aims to "use information and technology to empower communities to predict and prevent emerging threats before they become local, regional, or global crises". It’s initial focus "will be on emerging infectious diseases, which are on the rise worldwide. Climate change, urbanization, and rising international travel and trade all contribute to this threat".

The initiative "supports two inter-related pathways from prediction to prevention. The first is vulnerability mapping and identification of "hot spots." The second, creating systems to better detect threats to provide early warning and enable a rapid response". In the Grants & Investment support activity Google has funded, amongst others, the Clark Labs of Clark University "to support the development of a system to improve monitoring, analysis and prediction of the impacts of climate variability and change on ecosystems, food, and health in Africa and the Amazon".

... it's exciting to see something you've spent so long researching come to the forefront of application and innovation. This is probably just the tip of the iceberg for Google and other organizations interested in leveraging knowledge technologies and bottom-up, ecosystem-like approaches to transform how they operate and respond to a changing environment.

Stay tuned! :)