A new iOS app called Sickweather will alert its users in real-time whenever they are near a sick zone, whether that be a school, workplace, airport or department store.
The iOS app, which is currently available in the Apple App Store, aggregates reports of illness mentioned on social media platforms as well as Apple's iOS geofacing and notification technologies to send out health alerts. This means if you enter an area with a high concentration of people complaining on social sites about being sick or having the flu, you'll receive a notification alerting you to that fact. It's the perfect way to ensure that you stay healthy during the holiday season.
CEO and co-founder of the app, Graham Dodge, came up with the concept after battling a bad stomach virus two years ago.
"I didn't know if something was going around or if it was food poisoning, so I went on Facebook to see if any of my friends were experiencing the same symptoms," Dodge told Mashable. "Sure enough, I found a friend nearby who had also posted the same symptoms. It occurred to me that what I was doing could be done on a much larger scale using the APIs for Facebook and Twitter."
The aggregation software is apparently sophisticated enough to not only process about 600,000 mentions each month and plot them on map, but it can also disqualify phrases like "I have Bieber fever." The map can display up to 23 different symptoms and illnesses on the map, which area grouped into four categories: respiratory, gastrointestinal, environmental and childhood.
"Right now, colds, cough and sore throats are topping the forecast in most regions in the U.S., but flu is still very mild," Dodge said. "We saw a spike in flu activity in the UK last month, but now the region is seeing more of what we're seeing in the U.S., which is likely attributed to a cold virus and/or strep throat," Dodge said. "We have no agenda as to what people should do once they get notifications, but if our alerts at least prompt someone to wash their hands a little more often, I think that will have a profound impact on the spread of illness."
