What Are Some Real-World Applications of Search Engine Data in Epidemiology?
One notable application is Google Flu Trends, an initiative that aimed to estimate flu activity based on search queries. Although it had its challenges, it demonstrated the potential of search engine data in monitoring disease trends. Another application is the use of search queries to track the spread of COVID-19, where spikes in searches for symptoms like "loss of taste" and "shortness of breath" provided early indicators of outbreaks.
