Google tracks the flu

Posted in Science | Sunday, November 16th, 2008 | Comments Off Trackback

Cathy mentioned today that Google is now tracking the flu. Based on aggregate search queries about the flu and it’s symptoms, Google can plot the course of the flu about 2 weeks faster than the published CDC reports. While the CDC reports are vital and accurate, it takes time to collect the data from the network of about 1500 doctors nationwide, compile, and report on it. The Google search method provides a good match to this data, but provides it much quicker. The idea is that you’ll be able to track the progress on the fly across the US in near real-time. You can view the data for the entire nation, or by state. Check it out at:

http://www.google.org/flutrends/

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