The aim of this paper is to take an in depth look at the WHO health map, and discuss the purposes that it serves.
WHO utilizes the HealthMap. This interactive map was originally designed by a group of software developers, epidemiologists and researchers at the Boston Children’s Hospital. It is of crucial importance as it represents the best available: “informal sources for disease outbreak monitoring and real-time surveillance of emerging public health threats” (Health Map, n.d.) all over the world. The map is free for everyone, and can be found on the WHO website, or can be accessed from a mobile app. The map conveys intelligence in real-time, and incorporates a vast spectrum of surfacing diseases which are classified as infectious. It is of immense value to various different audiences such as international travelers, governments, local health departments and libraries. In order to accomplish a globally comprehensive and integrated perspective on the clear and present state of diseases which are infectious for both humans and animals, as well as the effect which they impart, the map merges various sources of health data such as certified official reports, discussions which are expertly curated, reports which have come from eye witnesses, and online news aggregates. An automatic process is used 365 days a year, 24/7, and is available in nine different languages. The technology that is employed: disseminates, visualizes, filters, integrates, organizes and monitors online data regarding diseases which are emerging in various parts of the world, thereby generating an early warning system so that public health threats can be detected all over the planet.
In early 2014, the software utilized for the Healthmap followed the initial social media and press reports emerging out of West Africa. These reported people suffering from hemorrhagic fever, and this illness was later identified as Ebola by WHO. The team of specialists at HealthMap then decided to produce a devoted HealthMap visualization (Politico, 2014, and Tech Republic, 2014).
- Health Map (n.d.). “Global Health Local Information.” Retrieved from http://www.healthmap.org/site/about
- Politico (2014). “Online tool nailed Ebola epidemic.” Retrieved from http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/healthmap-ebola-outbreak-109881
- Tech Republic (2014). “How an algorithm detected the Ebola outbreak a week early, and what it could do next.” Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-an-algorithm-detected-the-ebola-outbreak-a-week-early-and-what-it-could-do-next/
