Big Data used to track the Flu

[R_ORyan]

Want to see a very practical use for Big Data?  Check out what Google has been doing in tracking the Flu over the past couple of years:  http://www.google.org/flutrends/about/how.html

[R_ORyan]

A research colleague from MIT has also been using this information.  He made a rather interesting comment to me.  He indicated that the "flu recipe" that the CDC keeps using for the yearly flu vaccine does not appear to be effective. 

It seems to me that perhaps the CDC needs to start using predictive analysis techniques and all this data to develop a better way come up with a better flu vaccine that is more effective.

Thoughts?