whoissick.org

A neat example of how far mapping technology has come. In 1854 John Snow pioneered mapping in epidemiology, and in general promoted the idea that you can map or layer two different features together in order to gain a new understanding of how phenomena interact. In his case, it was to demonstrate that cases of cholera were clustered around the City of London's water pumps, indicating that the contamination was spreading from the water sources (which is something no one else had thought of at the time).

Now, in 2007, everyone can map their own illness on the web! whoissick.org is a self-reporting sickness site. You can report your own maladies (anonymously) and see where other people around NYC, and the country, are ill. At this point this is more of a novelty than a reliable source of info. But it serves as a good example of what is possible with web mapping technology.

It also gives hypochondriacs out there more to worry about.

-Frank