Google to collect health data through Study Kit apps

With all the digital technology tools that are available to companies now, it has become so much easier for them to make studies, analysis, and conduct experiments on different aspects of our lives. While some may seem highly intrusive, there are studies that can actually be a matter of life and death, health-wise. Google is in the midst of launching something called Study Kit, which is actually the first major undertaking of Baseline Study, which aims to learn and show “what it means to be healthy”.

With health and fitness still being in the current zeitgeist, as evidenced by a lot of apps pertaining to that aspect, it seems like Study Kit may indeed be useful and a good source of information. Don’t worry, Google will not be able to just randomly pull people’s health information. It comes in the form of an Android and iOS app, as well as a Chrome extension, but it is on a voluntary basis. It is now open to just a small number of registered participants. as they are still in the early stages.

The Baseline Study is actually trying to determine the, well, baseline, of what is healthy through more granular DNA sequencing so that the information gathered can help science and medicine to come up with more proactive solutions when a user or individual starts deviating from that baseline. They were able to do that initially by gathering blood and urine samples from the participants, and now the Study Kit apps are the second wave for data collection.

Google is quick to emphasize that the information and analysis to be collected through Study Kit and eventually Baseline will not be for a new Google product, but rather it is their “contribution to science”. All the data collected will be overseen by independent bodies to ensure that it will stay anonymous and it will only ever be used for Baseline Study.

VIA: TechCrunch