Rumi Chunara on Identifying Epidemics With Social Data
See on Scoop.it – Augmented Collective Intelligence
Google’s Flu Trends uses informal data, such as the number of searches for information about symptoms, to spot influenza epidemics. Health Map looks at a broad set of data from social media and other informal sources to identify epidemics. The connection with augmented collective intelligence is perhaps a little on the algorithmic side, but it’s a way of aggregating many small human actions into a prediction about the future. — Howard
“It’s neat to see how HealthMap has become a pioneer in demonstrating the value of informally collected health information. This has meant demonstrating what types of information can be used and how it can be aggregated and analyzed. By demonstrating that informal sources have added value, whether that is in giving an earlier signal, allowing more detailed understanding of a disease outbreak, or reaching more people, in the future I think we will accept and look to other new sources for health, that in aggregate can become extraordinarily valuable.”
See on blog.gnip.com
