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The FluTrackers? H1N1 Pandemic Database: An Experiment in Real Time Internet Disease Tracking
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Starting in July of 2009, several FluTrackers members participated in collaboratively tracking H1N1 cases and fatalities in an online database (link to database). The database was initially developed to provide demographic and health information on individual H1N1 cases reported in on-line media. Although the database was designed for entry of cases worldwide, the data is geographically uneven and spotty. For some countries, notably the USA and India, the earliest recognized cases were later added to the database. By September 2009 data entry trailed off except for India and Malaysia. So this database is a historical record of media reports of some of the earliest cases of H1N1 in the world.
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As a FluTrackers project, and consistent with the mission of FluTrackers, the data is made freely available under a Creative Commons license and can be accessed at this link. As of August 2010, more than 3600 cases have been entered into the database, most by RoRo. Other FluTrackers members who contributed to the data entry in various countries include Appleblossom, Shiloh, JimO, Chuck, Medtroll, and Tropicalgirl.
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Now that the H1N1 pandemic is declared over (or at least the first wave) the continuing utility of this collaborative H1N1 database is uncertain. Also uncertain is the online fate of this database. In June 2010, Smallthought Systems, the web publishers of DabbleDB, the database on which the FluTrackers project was built, was acquired by Twitter (link). It seems that soon all of the DabbleDB on-line databases, including the FluTrackers H1N1 database, will no longer be accessible on the web.
<o:p> </o:p>
Before Smallthought Systems shuts down and the FluTrackers database becomes inaccessible, it will be downloaded and archived. RoRo will likely continue to update the cases from India and Malaysia and continue to report and graph the statistical information on the cases and fatalities that have been reported in appropriate threads in the India H1N1 forum.
The database is certainly not comprehensive, nor was it conceived to be. The goal of the database was to represents an almost real time snapshot of some of the worldwide reports of H1N1 cases to assess the local demographic impact of the rapidly spreading pandemic virus.
<o:p> </o:p>
The database demonstrates how a group of collaborating individuals, through cloud computing, can track, in almost real time, media reports of influenza infections throughout the world. Thanks to all the FluTrackers members who participated.
<o:p> </o:p>
From a historical perspective, the database represents a relatively complete list of some of the first media reported H1N1 cases in the USA and elsewhere through late summer 2009. Since then, RoRo has continued to track and update H1N1 cases in India and Malaysia. To my knowledge, the case information compiled by RoRo is the most comprehensive list of H1N1 cases from India and Malaysia that is publicly available on the internet.
<o:p> </o:p>
Now is the time to visit the database link, if anyone wants to capture the FluTrackers H1N1 data on the early H1N1 cases before the database disappears from the web.
<o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Starting in July of 2009, several FluTrackers members participated in collaboratively tracking H1N1 cases and fatalities in an online database (link to database). The database was initially developed to provide demographic and health information on individual H1N1 cases reported in on-line media. Although the database was designed for entry of cases worldwide, the data is geographically uneven and spotty. For some countries, notably the USA and India, the earliest recognized cases were later added to the database. By September 2009 data entry trailed off except for India and Malaysia. So this database is a historical record of media reports of some of the earliest cases of H1N1 in the world.
<o:p> </o:p>
As a FluTrackers project, and consistent with the mission of FluTrackers, the data is made freely available under a Creative Commons license and can be accessed at this link. As of August 2010, more than 3600 cases have been entered into the database, most by RoRo. Other FluTrackers members who contributed to the data entry in various countries include Appleblossom, Shiloh, JimO, Chuck, Medtroll, and Tropicalgirl.
<o:p> </o:p>
Now that the H1N1 pandemic is declared over (or at least the first wave) the continuing utility of this collaborative H1N1 database is uncertain. Also uncertain is the online fate of this database. In June 2010, Smallthought Systems, the web publishers of DabbleDB, the database on which the FluTrackers project was built, was acquired by Twitter (link). It seems that soon all of the DabbleDB on-line databases, including the FluTrackers H1N1 database, will no longer be accessible on the web.
<o:p> </o:p>
Before Smallthought Systems shuts down and the FluTrackers database becomes inaccessible, it will be downloaded and archived. RoRo will likely continue to update the cases from India and Malaysia and continue to report and graph the statistical information on the cases and fatalities that have been reported in appropriate threads in the India H1N1 forum.
The database is certainly not comprehensive, nor was it conceived to be. The goal of the database was to represents an almost real time snapshot of some of the worldwide reports of H1N1 cases to assess the local demographic impact of the rapidly spreading pandemic virus.
<o:p> </o:p>
The database demonstrates how a group of collaborating individuals, through cloud computing, can track, in almost real time, media reports of influenza infections throughout the world. Thanks to all the FluTrackers members who participated.
<o:p> </o:p>
From a historical perspective, the database represents a relatively complete list of some of the first media reported H1N1 cases in the USA and elsewhere through late summer 2009. Since then, RoRo has continued to track and update H1N1 cases in India and Malaysia. To my knowledge, the case information compiled by RoRo is the most comprehensive list of H1N1 cases from India and Malaysia that is publicly available on the internet.
<o:p> </o:p>
Now is the time to visit the database link, if anyone wants to capture the FluTrackers H1N1 data on the early H1N1 cases before the database disappears from the web.
<o:p> </o:p>
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