Unconventional Data Sources You May Not Have Known Could be Used for Public Health Research

When most people think of public data, they picture surveys, hospital records, or REDCap forms. But the world is full of unconventional, creative, and downright surprising sources of public health data. Some are used in cutting-edge research, others in outbreak response, and a few are just fun to explore when you need academic inspiration.

Here are some surprisingly powerful (and cool) data sources worth knowing about:

1. Wastewater Surveillance: Your toilet flush could be a powerful public health signal. Wastewater has been used to detect COVID-19 waves before clinical spikes, polio in communities with low vaccination rates, and antibiotic resistance trends. Because wastewater captures population-level signals—no surveys, no self-reporting—it’s becoming a cornerstone of early outbreak detection. There are even public dashboards tracking viral concentration in real time.
2. Social Media & Search Engine Data: Your tweets, Google searches, and TikTok videos aren’t just procrastination—they’re data. Google Trends was once used to estimate influenza activity globally. Negative reviews of scented candles were found to be positively correlated with COVID-19 surges. Social data is messy but rich—and perfect for EPI students interested in informatics, sentiment analysis, or misinformation research.
3. Satellite Imagery: Public health data can be measured from outer space. These satellite scans can be used to examine environmental hazards, to inform natural disaster emergency response, and even to identify non-communicable disease patterns. Some datasets are free through NASA and NOAA, so log onto ArcGIS Pro and see what patterns you can identify!
4. Glacial Ice Cores: Scientists drill deep into glaciers to analyze trapped air bubbles from thousands of years ago. These frozen time capsules can contain ancient bacteria, fragments of virus particles, and even anthrax spores that have the potential to cause disease if the permafrost were to melt. This data fits right in when epidemiology meets paleoclimatology—a niche, yes, but undeniably cool.
5. Food Delivery Apps: Delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Doordash contain unconventional data on food purchasing patterns. Researchers have used this data to explore nutritional intake, to understand how social determinants of health are linked to weight status, and to inform future initiatives to improve access to healthy foods. These studies are a great example of researchers adapting their data sources to the modern technological environment to better population health for all.
6. Critters and Creepy-Crawlies: Creatures can be sampled in the field to understand disease patterns within the zoonotic reservoir. Mosquito sampling can be used to predict patterns of West Nile Virus in humans. Hunters can submit deer for Chronic Wasting Disease testing to ensure safe consumption. Non-invasive sampling methods are also used to monitor for disease without disrupting ecosystems or causing unnecessary distress to animals. Understanding zoonotic data gives us the power of early detection, helping us in our efforts to stay one step ahead of the next pandemic.

Public health research is evolving. Traditional datasets are a great resource, but utilizing new methods can allow us to extend our research to new areas. These alternative sources can capture real-time behavior, reduce self-report bias, detect outbreaks early, and highlight inequities that medical data may miss. Keep an eye out for these methods when you are reviewing public health literature!