We conducted in-depth analysis on the use of a popular Chinese social networking and microblogging site, Sina Weibo, to monitor an avian influenza A(H7N9) outbreak in China and to assess the value of social networking sites in the surveillance of disease outbreaks that occur overseas. Two data sets were employed for our analysis: a line listing of confirmed cases obtained from conventional public health information channels and case information from Weibo posts. Our findings showed that the level of activity on Weibo corresponded with the number of new cases reported. In addition, the reporting of new cases on Weibo was significantly faster than those of conventional reporting sites and non-local news media. A qualitative review of the functions of Weibo also revealed that Weibo enabled timely monitoring of other outbreak-relevant information, provided access to additional crowd-sourced epidemiological information and was leveraged by the local government as an interactive platform for risk communication and monitoring public sentiment on the policy response. Our analysis demonstrated the potential for social networking sites to be used by public health agencies to enhance traditional communicable disease surveillance systems for the global surveillance of overseas public health threats. Social networking sites also can be used by governments for calibration of response policies and measures and for risk communication.
Pricing approaches to cloud computing services balance risks and interests between vendor and client, and optimize supply and consumption in terms of cost, uncertainty and economic efficiency. They also leverage the benefits of various services delivery mechanisms for reserved, on-demand, spot-price, and re-sold services in markets that have learned how to transact in full contracts and services instances. This is like a financial market: with services supply and demand, and opportunities to supply and purchase services with spot prices, or to sell or buy contracts for the delivery of future services. Our research suggests that the financification of the cloud computing services market represents a fundamental shift from the traditional model of software sales and large contracts outsourced to services vendors, to short-term contracts and computing capacity provision mechanism designs that are evolving similar to financial markets. We develop this perspective to explain the cloud vendor market, the provision of services, and the ways in which the financification of cloud computing will shape future offerings and the structure of the market. We see these changes in the market in the many ways that vendors offer cloud services of high value to organizations, while making more profitable business models possible.
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