Wikipedia seen as useful tool to predict flu outbreaks, researchers find - 0 views
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Genevieve Domingo on 22 Apr 14The CDC is getting some help from Wikipedia as far as tracking and predicting flu outbreaks. The algorithm that two researchers from Boston Children's Hospital, David J. McIver and John S. Brownstein, is based on the number of views of flu-related articles on Wikipedia. This algorithm is said to have cut down the time it currently takes the CDC to track and predict flu outbreaks. The algorithm was developed by analyzing view data from late 2007 through the middle of August 2013. Given the number of people affected by flu year after year, I think that this article is relevant and should interest everyone.