There is little doubt left in many minds that I am a Google-fanboy. I literally can’t see them doing anything wrong, and I will gladly pledge my allegiance to their worldwide domination; surely it is inevitable. Their latest mission though, only proves my view that they are in fact, a force for good.
In an effort made in tandem with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Google has added a UNHCR layer to its Google Earth application and Google Maps web application. Now, instead of being hidden away from cameras, Google has brought the plight of the refugee in to our own living rooms.
The overlay has three specific levels of detail, depending on how far you zoom in. The first ‘birds-eye’ view provides a UNHCR tour and shows the group’s work in major operations throughout Darfur/Chad, Iraq, and Colombia. Moving further in, the second layer focuses on the refugee experience, linking to specific camps.
The third layer, and the most “macroscopic” layer, shows an individual camp layout. It shows where taps, tanks and water bladders are located, and brings you in close with the conditions that these people are forced in to living amongst.
"In the deserts and jungles where humanitarian operations take place, access to maps and web resources such as Google Earth will become as normal for our operations' managers as using a compass or a satellite phone," said Karl Steinacker, who heads the UNHCR Field Information & Coordination Support Section.
While there is honest skepticism about how much this will really do in terms of on the ground work, it will at least bring the plight of the refugee back to those of us more fortunate. "The impact of Google Earth is limited only by our imagination and it can, indeed, dramatically reduce the distance between refugees and the public,” said Francoise Jaccoud, a public information officer at UNHCR.
Google Earth isn’t only limiting its global awareness to refugees though. Just yesterday, Michael Graham of the Genocide Prevention Mapping Initiative at the US Holocaust Museum launched a new layer called "World is Witness.” The layer will be used as a “geoblog,” allowing for updates to be placed in to the layer showing the stories of people in countries like Rwanda and the Congo.
And these two aren’t the only getting the Google Earth attention. Google hopes to put these tools for geoblogging and humanitarian awareness in the hands of as many aid agencies as it can. They hope to allow Google Earth to be the new tool for bringing awareness to the world.
Let’s hope that it succeeds.
Arstechnica.com---Google Earth Takes You Inside Refugee CampsJoshua Hill, a Geek’s-Geek from Melbourne, Australia, Josh is an aspiring author with dreams of publishing his epic fantasy, currently in the works, sometime in the next 5 years. A techie, nerd, sci-fi nut and bookworm.
