Internet giant Google has introduced Google Flu Trends to Australia, using the application to track influenza cases by tracking flu queries typed in by Google users.
The company suggests that health officials can use the data tracked in Google Flu Trends to determine if an outbreak is likely, giving doctors more time to prepare.
“Google Flu Trends, which launched in the US last year, resulted from our observation that certain flu-related search queries are common during flu season, and that searches for flu-related topics are closely correlated to the actual spread of flu,” the company said in a statement.
“If we tally each day’s flu-related search queries, we can estimate how many people have a flu-like illness.”
“While some traditional flu tracking systems may take days or weeks to collect and release data, Google search queries can be counted immediately. As a result, Google Flu Trends can be updated daily and may provide early detection of flu outbreaks.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
