Abstract: Techniques for demand forecast use a SIM-TO engine to identify similar-to items for a new item, thereby enabling to provide demand forecast for the new item. The SIM-TO engine determines a classification of a new item, identifies a set of attributes of the new item, and searches existing items within the determined classification using the set of attributes. One or more existing items are identified as similar-to items in response to a determination that their respective matching scores are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: A method and system for transit characteristic prediction. In one embodiment, a method may include determining respective transit latencies from a source location to a number of destination locations, and grouping the destination locations according to a similarity criterion into a number of subsets corresponding to respective geographical regions, where transit characteristics of locations grouped into a geographical region may each satisfy the similarity criterion. The method may further include determining a respective distribution associated with each of the geographical regions, where a given respective distribution correlates a given transit characteristic from the source location to a given geographical region with a respective surety factor, where the respective surety factor includes a cumulative probability that the given transit characteristic will be achieved.