Flower statistics from Google
Google is a data octopus. True! But that's not always a bad thing, especially when it comes to non-private data. To make our website more discoverable, we've spent the last few months studying how Google works and have discovered some interesting tools that we'd like to introduce to you (using urban gardening examples, of course).
1. Google Ngram
The Google Ngram Viewer allows you to search for terms in all books indexed by Google Books and shows you how frequently these terms appeared between 1800 and the present day. For example, you can see that the topic of "plants" is becoming less and less important in literature and has now even been overtaken by "computers" ( http://goo.gl/YDUsM ). However, "organic" and "eco" are making a comeback ( http://goo.gl/mN39m ), and at least in the US, "urban gardening" is currently experiencing a second spring ( http://goo.gl/jW2WE ).
2. Google Correlate
Google Correlate is all about finding out how closely things are related to one another. Google uses its search statistics to see which search terms frequently appear together or at the same time. "Seed," for example, correlates quite strongly with sowing, flower seeds , and greenhouses. But also with moped insurance and bridal shoes...apparently, spring themes too ( http://goo.gl/7DqIK ). Hay fever also seems to fit the times. Incidentally, it correlates with "loratadine" at 0.98 ( http://goo.gl/8c16v ). Apparently, it's a popular hay fever remedy. Unfortunately, there are no statistics yet for seed bombs :(
3. Google Trends
Google Trends lets you view various search terms over time. It's comparable to Ngram, but the data is based on Google's search statistics, which is why it only goes back to 2004. My favorite trend is "baking" combined with "diet" ( http://goo.gl/78uIX ). After Christmas baking, most people probably head straight to the gym. You can also clearly see which flowers grow when. It starts with the snowdrop, then comes the daisy , followed by the sunflower ( http://goo.gl/3TwC8 ). You can also see here that the sunflower is becoming less popular, while the snowdrop is gaining popularity among Germans. Perhaps we should rethink our product range!
4. Google Public Data
Google Public Data makes it easy to find and display publicly available data. For example, the World Bank data shows how much Brazil's forest area has declined in recent years, while in Germany it has actually increased slightly ( http://goo.gl/lUW5N ). However, this is probably also because almost all of it has been cleared there. Energy consumption per capita is significantly higher here in any case ( http://goo.gl/qmaEL ). Another insight: One should exercise extreme caution in Polish traffic. There are more than twice as many traffic fatalities per capita there as in Germany ( http://goo.gl/IXfoF ).
It's truly interesting what possibilities Google offers. But of course, it also becomes clear: Google stores everything. Forever. With all the disadvantages that entails.
Best regards & thanks for reading,
The city gardeners
