This week in class we had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Tom Savel talk about his research lab at the Center for Disease Control. He has his background in medicine; he has an MD in general surgery and general practice. But he is also a technology enthusiast. His lab helps develop technology products (websites, mobile apps, etc) that can be utilized by doctors and public health employees.
He introduced the concept of "meaningful use" in terms of technology and eRecords in Public Health and Medicine. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the CDC, the concept behind a meaningful use of technology in the health fields is still being defined. But Dr. Savel's group is trying to help shape the future of technology at the CDC, being a leader in the field of health informatics.
You can see more about Tom's research lab group and what they are trying to accomplish on their website.
Google recently hosted their Google I/O Conference in San Francisco. You can find more about this conference on their website. I was very interested in hearing any new innovations to Google Maps as that is probably the most interesting product that they've developed throughout the years, especially considering the "stiff" competition that was already on the scene. Brian McClendon, Dylan Lorimer, and Thor Mitchell presented on this topic.
Google Maps is highly integrated into how we interact with our world. It's embedded into websites; it's utilized on our mobile devices; it's on every evite that's sent. It enables us to create routes for vacation or learn a new environment on a whim like you were a local. Street View lets you actually see what's at the location that you are researching so that you won't be surprised with construction or a closed restaurant.
Having an integrated map functionality that Google can build into it's search engine is just good business. Maps, latitude and longitude, images, points of interest, they are all just data points, and that is what Google does best, is render data that is comprehensive, accurate, and highly visible in our every day world. This product fills a need that we have to know where we are going and to find new places to go. The world today is "on the go". And Google has done a wonderful job of hearing what their users need and filling the gap. They've added the Street View navigator, upped the quality of their maps, and built out Map Maker to improve their developers apps for things like hiking trails.
Google Maps is used now in the the business world. Businesses build out there web presences and custom them to properly present their business to the world through Google and Google Maps. Businesses have a strong concern that the people who are looking for them can find them easily and accurately. Google Maps can also completely revamp a business if that business deals a lot in various locations such as State Parks with hiking and biking trails or a tractor trailer company who wants to find the best routes for its truckers that takes traffic and construction into account. Google Maps has been around for years, and I expect it to be around for years to come. I look forward to seeing how it evolves!
