The Google Flu Trends team, working with the Predict and Prevent initiative at Google.org — Google’s philanthropic arm — has developed a slick new tool for estimating flu levels from online searches for flu-related topics.
Source: Google.org at http://www.google.org/about/flutrends/how.html
Google Flu Trends is based on what appears to be a strong association between the volume of queries about flu information and the number of people with flu symptoms (at the state or regional level). In a test conducted during last year’s flu season, Google Flu Trends produced accurate estimates of flu levels 1 to 2 weeks before reports published by the Centers for Disease Control.
Get more info about Google Flu Trends and view an animated graphic here. Test it out for your state here.
Less impressive is my prediction that Thanksgiving will soon be here, based on 2007 search trends for “turkey.”
Google Trends: search for "turkey" in the U.S. in 2007
