Discussion Problem
In the article “What We Can Learn from the Epic Failure of Google Flu Trends” by professors David Lazer and Ryan Kennedy, It was most interesting to get to know how valuable big data is. Information obtained from search data can have diverse uses, one of which is to save lives “The value of the data held by entities like Google is almost limitless if used correctly” (Lazer & Kennedy, 2015). Millions of people all over the world use Google every day to acquire the information they feel is necessary for their day to day living. If the searches correctly mirror what is going on in people’s lives, the applications of this research data could be endless. For instance, research analysts could use the information obtained to monitor disease prevalence and spread or make forecasts on the sales of products in the market (Lazer & Kennedy, 2015).
Google researches in 2008, attempted to explore this possibility. The claimed that the program they developed, known as GFT (Google Flu Trends), could use insights gained from analyzing people’s search information to accurately estimate the prevalence of the flu two weeks before the data from the CDC. However, the program failed miserably by “missing at the peak of the 2013 flu season by 140 percent” (Lazer & Kennedy, 2015). If google would learn from mistakes of GFT and produce a better version, it could provide an example of how proper use of big data can serve the public interest.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt says, “We must remember that technology remains a tool of humanity” (Lazer & Kennedy, 2015). Therefore, companies, learning institutions, and governments should make attempts to share data they obtain to generate new perspectives that will benefit humanity while at the same time, respecting personal privacy.
References
David Lazer and Ryan Kennedy (2015). What We Can Learn from the Epic Failure of Google Flu Trends. Retrieved on February 12, 2020, from https://www.wired.com/2015/10/can-learn-epic-failure-google-flu-trends/