THE BI Blog : Tracking Swine Flu with Microsoft Virtual Earth and Live Search

I'm quite certain that more people are trying to cure Swine Flu than will every catch it. I'm also reasonably certain I'll end up regretting saying that.

However, its interesting to see how a multitude of more modern technology is being applied to the issue.

We can see from the Microsoft Virtual Earth heatmap that statistical data takes on a completely new life when combined with geographical data:

Microsoft Live Search Maps highlights reported cases

Virtual Earth Swine Flu Mashup

This concept is not entirely new in the world of BI. Indeed, visual representations of statistical data is a big part of what modern BI is all about.

It also highlights the value of giving BI to everyone. The more people looking at this data, the more potential solutions.

It makes sense therefore to think about the possibilities that adding a communications and collaboration platform alongside the BI solution so that those looking at the problem in different ways can discuss it and work together to solve it.

Are all of your employees able to look at your critical business problems together? Are they all able to get all the available and relevant insight? Are they able to discuss it and work together on ways to solve it?

Its not a huge leap for the imagination to draw a line between the threat Swine Flu poses to world health and the threat the financial crisis posed to the World economy.

THE BI Blog : Tracking Swine Flu with Microsoft Virtual Earth and Live Search