Google-mapping the flu
Where's the flu? Google can tell you.
Its nonprofit arm, Google.org, is mapping reports of the flu, based on how often "flu" and related words/symptoms are used for searching. You can see it here. The Wall Street Journal provides more detail, including the fact that the site will contain no advertising. The flu site also charts the number of searches for "flu." The site uses aggregate data and does not include personally identifying information in its calculations, the WSJ says.
You can Google other search trends at google.com/trends. Naturally, I Google-trended myself, but the result contained too few hits for a meaningful graph, Google's computers said. Unfortunately, so did the phrase "highway bonds," so I'm not sure just how often something has to be used as a search term before it registers.
"Carolina Panthers," on the other hand, generated a chart dating back to early 2004. It appeared to begin with a downslope from the Panthers' Super Bowl appearance after the 2003 season and spiked greatly in late 2005, when the Panthers went to the NFC championship game before losing to Seattle.
But: flu. It's that time of year again, and as you no doubt have tired of hearing, flu is a big public-health deal. So if you're vulnerable, particularly if you have a compromised immune system, you might want to check Google Flu Trends before going to visit your grandmother in another state for Christmas.
