Google engineers unveiled a program Tuesday that relies on Internet search queries to track the spread of the flu in an effort to identify breakouts in specific regions across the U.S.
Google Flu Trends, created with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, aims to identify outbreaks two weeks faster than historic methods. The program is based on data about people searching
for flu-related topics. Google engineers found a close relationship between the number of people searching and how many people actually have flu symptoms.
The data goes back to 2003 and is cross
referenced with the last several years of CDC survey data. Google said that during the 2007-2008 flu season, an early version of Google Flu Trends was used to share results each week with the
Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the Influenza Division at CDC. Across each of the nine surveillance regions of the U.S., Google was able to accurately estimate current flu levels one to two
weeks faster than published CDC reports.--Laurie Sullivan