Digital Epidemiology: Use of Digital Data Collected for Non-epidemiological Purposes in Epidemiological Studies

Park, Hyeoun-Ae; Jung, Hyesil; On, Jeongah; Park, Seul Ki; Kang, Hannah

Digital epidemiology can be broadly defined as epidemiology that uses digital methods from data collection to data analysis [1] . The goal of digital epidemiology is identical to that of traditional epidemiology. Then, what is the difference between the two? A narrower definition of digital epidemiology is that which uses digital data that was not generated with the primary purpose of epidemiological studies [2] . Examples of such data include search queries, social media posts, webpage access logs, mobile phone network data, data generated by sensors, and data collected at call centers. A large proportion of sick people search for relevant health information using internet search engines, and many share their experience with the rest of us on social media. Descriptions of health problems, time-stamped and geo-tagged, are available. Thus, it is possible for us to study the health of a population in real time using such digital traces. Researchers have already started to use digital data to support public health surveillance and infectious disease monitoring or to understand public attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors towards health issues.