WhoIsSick.org is using Google Maps in a unique way by creating a mash up that detail, the geographic area of users who are not well, along with their symptoms.
The site provides a color-coded pie chart that displays a breakdown of symptoms by percentage and covers descriptions of illnesses from muscle ache to runny nose.
The site also offers a forum where users can compare their symptoms and exchange information about what is ailing them. I clicked on several discussion forums but found all of them to be lacking any posts by users. This is probably due to the newness of the site, which is in Beta, or maybe that Americans are extraordinarily healthy.
On their about page it says,” Who Is Sick was started in 2006 with a mission to provide current and local sickness information to the public – without the hassle of dealing with hospitals or doctors.”
“With a strong belief in the power of people and a faith that user generated content can be extremely valuable, our team set out to create an entirely new system for tracking and monitoring sickness information.”
The inspiration for the site comes from founder P.T. Lee whose wife became sick while on vacation. After experiencing severe stomach pain and visiting the emergency, were they waited 4 hours, they were told to return in 24 hours if the pain did not subside.
Mr. Lee had an idea,” if only there were a website that had current AND local sickness information, maybe we could have avoided the long wait. Needless to say, this started the wheels spinning and a couple of months later, Who Is Sick was born.”
The site carries a disclaimer that states,” WhoIsSick is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.”
