Google Flu Trends - How much effective?

Not only me, I think every one of us don’t like to talk about seasons that create fright in our mind! Yes, I am talking about flu season that grabs the world under its paws. At the same time I must thank our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Google which has taken the responsibility to let us know about the outbreak and spread of Influenza (Flu). Now whenever I feel scared or come across even hoax on flu, I first try to search in Google, a program that helps us in gathering knowledge on flu.

Some do question on the effectiveness of the results produced through the Google flu trends! How far effective is the projected result of Google flu trends? I am trying my way to see the things and hope we will together find it!

• The survey and preventive measures have to be taken both ways from public and government. Google came forward bridging strong relation between the government (CDC and other government health bodies) and people with use of search database through Google flu trends.
• This is the era of information technology and we had to take the help of technology that enables us in progress and to get results fast. A Google flu trend is use of technology for mankind. It strengthens the work of the government health departments providing huge search database.
• Google engineers have developed specific program to analyze the search trends of people globally and prepare the Google flu trends on the basis of that. So with those data identifying places of spread of flu is more accurate. Study shown the match is up to 75% with CDC.

There are always some ifs and buts in using and relying too much on the technologies. We should not stop human process of accumulating information on the flu. That is why the health departments are there and they go on contacting people personally and work on the basis of 100% genuine information. Let us see what the drawbacks are:

• People may search only to get information on flu, so it does not mean they are affected by flu. It is the reason result varies up to 25% between Google flu trends and government results.
• The total system is based on the flu related search term basis and it can be easily manipulated. It is fact that people with mal-intention can manipulate search result to spread terror.
• Google is somehow penetrating privacy of users by using the search query to generate Google flu trends. Though Google assures of prevention of wrong use of search data, chances are there.
• What about people who does not use internet to gather information on flu? It is fact that people especially from third world or backward countries do not access web services much. So it cannot be said that the Google flu trends show world wide result of influenza spread.
• Google flu trends sometimes create panic on life, relation and business. Journey abroad, import and export of goods stops (especially from food category) whether those are flu affected or not. It recurs millions of monetary loses even rift in international relations.

So the above are the consequences of Google flu trends. However there are some possibilities of misinterpretation of this initiative of Google, ultimately it is fact that the effort is for well-being of mankind. It should go on. If there are problems or shortfalls in the coverage of the use of the technologies, those can be easily avoided.

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