ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the phenomenon of digital, public health mapping with particular regards to neogeographic user involvement, and big data utilization. It presents an analysis of mapped health information based on the aforementioned case studies: HealthMap and FluNearYou. By analyzing the interfaces and excerpts of available online maps, the author investigates what kind of information has been geographically located in what ways. In doing so, the author aims at reverse-engineering the decision-making processes and algorithmic criteria which underlie these health mapping projects. The analysis sheds light on the geographic construction of public health developments in digital mapping projects and points toward challenges concerning data selection, retrieval, assessment, and authenticity. The chapter focuses on two questions: what kind of information is being mapped? How is information mapped, i.e., according to which criteria are geographic locations chosen and hence indicated on the map? The chapter mainly examines which information has been mapped and according to which criteria geographic locations have been determined.
