Blog: Google Earth

Using Maps to Convey Information and Get People More Involved

Yesterday's announcement that the UNHCR and Google are mapping humanitarian work in refugee camps is a really encouraging sign of what's to come in online advocacy. Maps are incredible for the amount of digestible information they can quickly convey to a reader. 

Here's the part I loved most from what the UNHCR is saying about it:

Highlighted are not only the physical area of the camp and surrounding country, but key parts of daily life such as education and health in photo, text and video format. Within seconds, Google Earth brings the daily life of a refugee camp into your home thousands of kilometres away.

UNHCR is doing great work on the ground in places like Darfur, and they're generating content that really wouldn't have as strong an impact displayed in another way. In one glance, you can quickly get a sense of the water resource situation in this camp and the gaping lack of a health care facility.