Imagine a future where
thousands of streams of real-world data would be brought together to reveal previously unknown patterns and trends in human society.
What might this new kind of computing marvel do?
Ultimately the simulator could help detect impending crises like public health emergencies and instabilities in the financial system while serving as a powerful modeling tool for leaders testing the implications of policy changes in energy, transportation, city planning and many other areas, its developers say.
The "planetary simulator" is still in the conceptual phase, but at least you can now game future catastrophes for kicks.