Well, apparently Google has started tracking and compiling data on searches related to flu symptoms. They have been creating a data-tracking tool that they hope will detect outbreaks of influenza faster than other traditional systems in place.
Of course, no program is foolproof, as stated in this CNN article:
The tool may miss cases of influenza spreading among elderly people, because they are less likely to use the Internet than younger people, Stafford said. He also noted that many people who search for flu-related terms have viral infections that are not actually influenza.
Google has also taken into account that people sometimes look for flu-related terms in response to certain news headlines and do not actually have the flu, Ginsberg said. The tool looks for terms that, for example, reflect searches by a person who has chest congestion or wants to buy a thermometer, he said.
Hmm. Just one more way search engine technology is evolving.
(Courtesy of CNN and Google)
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