Honest 836 Report post Posted November 12, 2008 Dr. Google Tracks Spread of Flu Makes mundane searches turn Now, we know Google is a highly capable search engine and that the word search is now synonymous with Google. The large user base the search engine possesses has never been tapped yet -- until now that is. The following story shows how the power of Google has made mundane searches turn into statistics. The Flu, a common ailment amongst Americans is known for its seasonal bouts. It is usually accompanied by a host of symptoms including a sore throat, aches, coughs and google searches'. Yes that's correct, Google searches! Now if you are wondering what a Google search has to do with flu, here comes the interesting part. As it turns out, a normal bout of flu is often accompanied by affected family members typing away "flu" or flu related queries on Google. This simple act, when multiplied by the amount of queries related to flu that Google receives is tabulated has given birth to what is known as Google Flu Trends, an early warning system for flu-outbreaks. The tool comes from Google.org, Google's philanthropic wing and going by the results of the preliminary tests, it will be able to detect regional outbreaks of the disease well in advance -- giving medical workers as many as 10 days to act well in advance to prevent an epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who has been traditionally in the business of forecasting bouts of contagious ailments had in the past reported about an increase in the number of flu cases in some parts of the U.S. However, when tabulated alongside the results from Flu Trends, it came to be known that the actual spike in flu related queries in the affected area began almost two weeks prior to the release of the CDC report. It was obvious that the CDC reports will be slower is it relied more on traditional sources like lab reports and data aggregated from thousands of health workers. Currently, the service only covers the USA. Considering Google is a leader in almost all the countries where there is Internet access,(Yes, there are some which do not) the application can help a great deal in the prevention of a possible epidemic. Courtesy : Techtree Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Asit 4 Report post Posted November 13, 2008 Now our doctors (dhiraj/tanver/muffadal) b careful. Dr. Google is coming. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashoksoft 83 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 ali too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dkaile 1,051 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 I am not a doc man, so nothing to fear... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Their are two more on the forum Dr.Gagan and Dr.Soham. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mufaddal 678 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 lol their is nothing to fear....THIS IS INDIA ....majority of population is not tech savy....out here when some one falls ill ( flu) hardly on any one wud go to google search for their disease .....they wud simply visit a GP ........ such system is helpful in us ad other developed countreis theri health policies r much much better than ours ,,,,,,.....in india our health minister in more intersted in changing the medical cirriculum than improving our publc health policies Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
