Google site tracks spread of flu in US

12 Nov 2008 14:43

The search giant's recently unveiled Google Flu Trends site tracks flu-related searches to monitor the spread of the illness across the US

Google on Tuesday unveiled a site to track the progress of flu in the US.

Using the same keyword-tracking technology found in Google Trends, the Google Flu Trends site monitors people searching for queries involving the word 'flu' and tracks them both by date and location.

The technology's data set goes back to 2003, and has been cross-referenced with the last several years of survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Google said that, because its own system is based on a constant flow of searches, as opposed to surveying techniques, it's able to provide results one to two weeks faster than the CDC.

The same trending technique could be used in tandem with other organisations to track contagious viruses or threats besides flu, including AIDS, bird flu, and Africanised honey bees.

One limitation of the current system is that it does not track worldwide flu traffic.

According to Google's chart, the main flu season in the US will begin in about three weeks and go on until early January.

Story URL: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39549417,00.htm