Here’s an interesting resource, particularly this time of year as we enter the height of flu activity – Google flu trends. The resource shares flu maps and data based on aggregate Google search data (estimations are provided). The site has a simple layout with users being presented with a Global map of trends around the world. simply click on a country of interest to view more detailed data (estimates) – currently you’ll see that North America has a ranking of “High” – Western Canada and the western US currently have the highest rate of affliction.
google flu trends
This from Google about the service – We have found a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. Of course, not every person who searches for “flu” is actually sick, but a pattern emerges when all the flu-related search queries are added together.
See Also: GIS Technology Plays Important Role to Map Disease and Health Trends
