8 Ways to Track the Swine Flu with Google Maps
A few months ago, we mentioned on GT that Google Trends can be used to track the spread of a flu. With the recent outbreaks and fast spread of the swine flu, I was curious how many ways there are to track the spread of this new influenza using Google.
1. Google Trends
When surfing to the Google Flu Trends website, the flu activity in the US is still listed as low. Makes sense, considering that the great panic about the swine flu is based on the lack of knowledge we have on it, and that it is new. There are not sufficient confirmed cases yet to really panic, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.
2. Mapping Swine Flu Tweets
Twitter is a lovely way to have a world-wide discussion on the swine flu. Integrate it with a Google Map, and we have a great way to pass the time and see Tweets about the Swine Flu pop up across the globe.
3. OpenFlu Map
The first on this list of Google Maps was made by OpenFlu. It shows confirmed cases of the swine flu across the world, not just in the US. The nice thing about OpenFlu is that they also present the data in a table. But all of us Google Maps enthusiast will probably hardly glance at that extra visual aid.
The OpenFlu data is being collated from The Guardian and a number of other sources.
4. Tracking passenger travel
This doesn’t track swine flu outbreaks, but tracks passenger travel between the US and Mexico. If you want to keep track of which places sees the most influx from Mexico, and thus might be the areas with the greatest infection risk, this is one way to do it. The bigger the purple bubble, the more passengers are coming through from Mexico.
5. Google Map of confirmed and suspected cases
Google Maps user Niman has created this Google Map of the confirmed and suspected swine flu cases.
- Yellow markers are negative
- Pink markers are suspect
- Purple markers are confirmed or probable
- Deaths lack a dot in marker
6. Swine Flu measures by country
This map shows the number of swine flu cases reported by country, and includes some other stats regarding travel advisories and the severity of cases.
7. Swine Flu heat map
I haven’t seen another map yet that shows the swine flu outbreak as a heat map. It gives a nice overview of the severity of the spread of this flu in the affected countries.
8. Collaborative Swine Flu Map
This map requires user input, and is a collaborative effort to track the spread of the swine flu. It originally tracked the cases in Mexico, but other cases around the world have been added.
How worried are you about the swine flu? I’m amused by the Twitter map of Swine Flu related Tweets, and am generally using some maps out of curiosity, to see where the flu is spreading across the world. It would be cool to make an overlapping map showing passenger travel and flu outbreaks in one!
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The swine flu (& suspected) incidences do have an alarming similarity with the Mexican air travel map. It does suggest that the present outbreak originated there.. What I can’t understand is HOW anyone would think it a “mystery” as to why citizens in a wealthier countries,(i.e, the USA,& Canada)- with better nutrition,& access to better medical care, would have lower mortality rates!! Poverty is a huge immuniosuppressant. Poor folk have to deal with higher stress levels, jobs(when they can get them) that expose them to unsafe levels of toxins(think of our Mexican migrant workers & families),poor nutrition, poor or nonexistant medical care, polluted water sources; the list is a long & depressing one, & isn’t isolated to Mexican citizens, but also includes OUR folk. I would expect to see higher swine flu mortality rates amongst lower socio-economic groups,as well as children,elderly folk, & the chronically ill.