Patent ID: 8671066

Claim:
A computer implemented method of using genetic algorithms to create predictions of data comprising: loading data to be used for forecasting; dividing the data into a plurality of sections; creating prediction data using prediction parameters comprising; executing a prediction algorithm using the prediction parameters to create the prediction data; using one of the sections of the data, creating a prediction evaluation that indicates an accuracy of the prediction algorithm by comparing the created prediction data from the prediction algorithm to actual data in the one of the sections; determining if the prediction evaluation is above a threshold including: observing results of the created prediction evaluation and previous prediction evaluations; determining if the result of the created prediction evaluation continues to improve over the previous prediction evaluations; in response to the result of the created prediction evaluation continuing to improve over the previous prediction evaluations, increasing the threshold until a rate of improvement of the result of the created prediction evaluation slows; and in response to the result of the created prediction evaluation having not improved over the previous prediction evaluations over a preset number of iterations, lowering the threshold; when the prediction evaluation is above the threshold, reporting prediction evaluation results; when the prediction evaluation is below the threshold; creating additional prediction parameters by generating a plurality of copies of the prediction parameters and introducing random changes during the copying operation; and/or by allowing a user to submit the additional prediction parameters and substituting the additional prediction parameters for the prediction parameters; and repeating the creating the prediction data and determining when the prediction evaluation is above the threshold for a desired time or until the prediction evaluation is above the threshold.