It seems to be getting increasingly clear that Google is no longer content in dealing with online viruses. So much so that Google will now start predicting the spread of Flu in the non-virtual world. The website will utilise its massive data collecting power to assemble information on the disease. The search engine giant has also launched a website that can raise the alarm over Flu outbreaks.

Using the technology created for Google Trends, Google has proceeded to create Google Flu Trends. This is a system that can analyse various flu-related terms across America. The site has also made a comparison between its own results and the data filed by the US centres for Disease Control over the last five years to determine the potential accuracy of its data.

Jeremy Ginsberg, a Google Engineer who has been involved in the development of the system, said the company wanted to step back and see if it could model a real-world phenomenon using search query data. He added that the company would be able to make accurate estimates on what the Flu activity levels would be in the future.

This new move adds to previous investigations by Google into the field of digital detection technology that is designed to apply online information to the field of public health mapping. The company is also looking for ways to join the collated information with the other services such as Google Maps and also a tool to let users store personal health information on Google websites.