Information about the avian flu outbreak is always a hot topic of interest for many people. Google has not overlooked this event and has created a global map of avian flu based on Google Earth. This is a genuinely useful tool for gathering information about the bird flu epidemic, not only in Vietnam but also worldwide.
The avian flu epidemic is rampant around the globe, and Vietnam is one of the “red alert” zones with warnings that it could be one of the first places to experience a human flu pandemic, with a risk of 10% of the population being infected and 1% mortality.
With Google Earth, users can easily search for and display areas affected by avian flu worldwide in the simplest way. This combines satellite imagery, maps, and Google’s search functionality to create a global geographic information system (GIS). To display the map, you must first download and install the Google Earth program. The demo version of the global avian flu pandemic information map is available at http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=172811.
 |
Avian flu outbreak areas in Vietnam on Google Earth |
After downloading and installing Google Earth, run the program, select File -> Open, and open the downloaded demo map file. In the Places window, scroll down under the Temporary places section, click to select the box next to “Avian flu H5N1 outbreaks in birds, and in humans.” Wait a moment for the program to display the data. Use the program’s features to obtain detailed information about the avian flu outbreak areas you are interested in.
In Vietnam, this program provides information on 95 cases of avian flu. From the program, you can also connect to a wealth of news articles, reports from Google, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and others regarding the avian flu situation in Vietnam. This information is updated regularly. You can also view detailed information for each outbreak point by clicking on each marker on the map.
 |
Avian flu situation in Bac Giang Province, Vietnam on Google Earth |
The database used in this program primarily relies on reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. For cases of outbreaks since October, the program displays the initial outbreak locations along with detailed descriptions of those outbreaks from FAO. For earlier outbreaks, the data is shown geographically over specific time periods. For information related to human cases, the data is mainly sourced from the World Health Organization (WHO). This program continues to be refined and updated.
Trong Hieu (VIDAGIS)
