Google usually answers your questions, but now it can predict the future. Flu Trends aggregates historical search data to foretell where the flu will strike next. Is there anything Google doesn’t know?

Tracking the spread of viruses is a complicated endeavor, and scientists at the Center for Disease Control spend millions of dollars in the lab and the field studying and containing these epidemics. Google analyzes search requests across geographical areas with even more impressive results. Check out the following animation which highlights their success:

 
The link between epidemiology and search engines may seem difficult to believe, but connections between apparently unrelated pheonomena are a core element of innovation. Your organization may or may not be able adapt to the market by watching Google Trends, but nevertheless there are undiscovered relationships between the smallest actions in the workplace and the overall productivity of your company. If you are ready for lateral thinking about your people, processes and organizational culture, learn more about the concepts from the minds at Slaughter Development.