Institute For The Future

Mobile mapping for health?

Long-time friend of the Institute Howard Rheingold is the author of Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution, and has a related blog dedicated to "[m]obile communication, pervasive computing, wireless networks, [and] collective action." A recent posting by Paul Lamb examines the potential application of mobile mapping, rating, and people connection services (like the new platform, Whrrl) to support social services such as food banks and low-cost health clinics. We might imagine similar uses for the benefit of personal and public health: healthy eating information about local restaurants, or real-time tracking of outbreaks of illnesses in schools or communities (a mobile version of whoissick.org?). Where does your imagination take you?