Google Unveils Google Squared and other cool features

"A new effort to cull and table numerical data from Web pages was among several features announced today. Google Squared that creates tables of numerical data culled from searches of websites. In the example given, a search for "small dogs" created a table on different breeds, including data on such things as the breeds' heights and weights, placed inside boxes. Once an initial table is created, users can click on individual entries to check the source and--if the number is erroneous--correct the numbers through new searches. Finally, they can save their customized table for future reference."

I wonder how featurs like the "Google Squared" can be leveraged to take tons of unstructured available health information (or semi-structured, for example H1N1 line-list excel sheets sent from health departments all over the country/world, which are supposedly structured) and present it in a structured way amenable to statistical analysis.

read more: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/23522/?nlid=2025