Google is for many people an invaluable tool for gathering information. With millions upon millions of people searching for all manner of things every day, it is one of the most popular websites in the world. In 2006, its total entrenchment in our society was confirmed when ‘to google’, meaning ‘to use the Google search engine to gain information on the internet’ was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
In recent years, the world has started to realise just how much information Google is gathering about us. Anyone who has ever cringed at the thought of their weird or embarrassing searches being made public will probably take a very personal interest in the debate over privacy raging within the company. However, it looks like Google’s ability to gather information on us could in fact be put to very good use. The search engine has developed something called “Google Flu Trends” which could help authorities work out where influenza epidemics are about to hit.
Currently only operational in the US, the tracker monitors where people are searching for key flu-related words, such as “cough” or “fever”. Having tested the program in nine US states, they say that the technology allows them to predict outbreaks between 7 and 14 days earlier than the federal authorities. Their findings have been published in a well-respected journal, Nature, and on their website the company said, “This is an exciting development, because early detection of a disease outbreak can reduce the number of people affected. If a new strain of influenza virus emerges under certain conditions, a pandemic could emerge and cause millions of deaths... Our up-to-date influenza estimates may enable public health officials and health professionals to better respond to seasonal epidemics and – though we hope never to find out – pandemics.”
If any of you have been watching the frankly terrifying BBC1 program Survivors, where we see the horrible result of a pandemic that is not caught early enough, you will doubtless find this new use of search technology extremely comforting. At the very least, an improved early-warning system allowing individuals to take measures early on to avoid a flu outbreak can only be a very good thing.