International ignorance connected to the plight of U.N. refugees is set to be blown wide open following news that the far-reaching Google Earth tool, which provides zoom-friendly three-dimensional satellite images of the planet, is to be used to better inform the public masses.
Google Earth to be used for raising public awareness in plight of U.N. refugees. Credit: Google.
According to Rebecca Moore, head of Earth Outreach for Google, a massive online audience stands to be captivated by browsing through high-definition satellite images of various humanitarian crisis zones, U.N. refugee camps and aid-based projects.
“Use Google Earth to tell your story,” implored Moore to an audience of aid experts at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) headquarters, while also outlining that Earth Outreach “realised that Google Earth had the potential to be a much more significant and meaningful tool.”
Moore also pointed out to the gathered experts that they are able to bolster Google Earth’s satellite imagery with the application of video interviews, accompanying photography and educational text to better inform casual visitors about conditions in crisis-hit areas such as Chad, Iraq and Columbia.
The Reuters news agency reports that Karl Steinacker, head of the UNHCR’s field information and coordination support section, has outlined that the U.N. agency is presently attempting to “systematically map” all of its approximately 150 refugee camps.
The adoption of Google Earth mapping is the first time the organisation has sought to cast a closer eye across international areas of displacement and will hopefully enable UNHCR officials to use the gathered map data to ensure refugee camps are well-designed and fully functioning.
Google Earth presently boasts some 350 million users, who generally apply the online tool when seeking a more informed view across prospective holiday destinations or simply satisfying curiosity in relation to various famous points of interest on the planet.
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