Sickweather’s data is powering Weather.com’s new cold and flu tracker

Weather.com is set to provide a cold and flu forecast along with what’s happening in the atmosphere, and it will be powered by Sickweather, a startup based at the Emerging Technology Center’s Haven Campus.
Data collected from social networks by Sickweather is set to power the Cold & Flu Tracker, which will be available on IBM-owned weather.com and The Weather Channel app, as well as the site of project sponsor Theraflu. The companies announced details Thursday, and Sickweather CEO Graham Dodge first went public with the news last week’s Beta City pitch competition.
Sickweather collects and analyzes reports about illness on social media channels to identify where specific illnesses are trending. Flu data frequently generates interest given the perennial yet always changing nature of the disease, but Sickweather’s data around ebola and, more recently, food poisoning, also got attention for the company. Dodge has talked about the information’s value to help people take precautions or give employers information that can help them plan for potential staffing shortages.
Weather.com will combine those real-time reports with historical data from the Center for Disease Control to create local heat maps of cold and flu.
The startup talks about how its capabilities are like Doppler radars for illness, and the deal is a sign that big players are adapting. Dodge said the new agreement will “significantly” expand Sickweather’s reach. The announcement comes ahead of flu season, but the startup is already seeing an increase in traffic and downloads of its own app.