We all know that data turned into useful information is a powerful tool for projecting population growth, tracking the trajectory of hurricanes and even predicting pandemic outbreaks. And what company has the pulse of global data collection better than Google?

Google is clearly on to something big with www.Google.org. The tagline on this website reads “Google.org aspires to use the power of information and technology to address the global challenges of our age.” Essentially, Google is taking the data that people key into their search engine to map out where outbreaks of diseases are occurring. This is an effort to help people prepare for H1N1 swine flu and other infections. This, in essence is the Google way, indeed.

Let’s take a simple chart from their Flu Trends tab. Google believes that certain terms keyed into their search engine could be “good indicators of flu activity.” Armed with this data they can estimate flu activity up to two weeks faster than the old, traditional ways. Google has compared their results with those of traditional surveillance systems and found a precise correlation between them.

On this page from Google.org, http://www.google.org/flutrends/intl/en_us, US flu activity is shown as minimal in most of the US, except for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alaska, where the flu activity is registered as low. This same interactive chart also allows you to drill down state by state. This data, of course, will become increasingly more populated as the flu season gets into full swing.

Interestingly, this page, http://www.google.org/flutrends/intl/en_nz/, shows New Zealand as having a high flu activity, with a higher concentration of flu in the North Island. The Ministry of Health has recommended seasonal influenza immunization.

Now preparing for H1N1 swine flu the Google way is really more than just charts, graphs and pretty numbers. The purpose of the Google.org organization is to provide grants to people with innovative ideas in the area of disease control, green initiatives and much more. One of the recipients of a grant from Google is HealthMap. Among other things, they’ve launched an iPhone app called “Outbreaks Near Me.” This free app allows you to see what outbreaks have been reported near your neighborhood, work place or vacation destination.

Imagine the implications of this data collection and representation to the end users? This type of collaboration is one of the keys to building a better informed and prepared population. Of course, there are also other preventative measures against H1N1 swine flu, such as washing hands, eating right, and keeping your hands away from your face. But, who knows … preparing for H1N1 Swine flu the Google way just might keep you from venturing into an infected region in the first place!

Read more articles from David Chan.

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