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Expanded Google Earth Reveals More Ravages of Darfur

by Warren Riddle on August 10, 2009 at 06:37 AM

In 2007, Google Earth joined forces with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to help raise awareness of the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. According to Google's Lat Long Blog, the joint venture is now providing "the most detailed picture to date of the scope and nature of the destruction" of more than 3,300 villages, which left 2.5 million people homeless and resulted in 200,000 civilian casualties.

The updated 'Crisis in Darfur' layer, which can be located in the Google Earth 'Global Awareness' folder, also includes, for the first time, before and after photographs of approximately 200 locations that were ravaged by the war. Future additions will reportedly include a "narrated flyover tour and a map of destroyed villages by year."

Even though Google Earth may receive an occasional good-natured ribbing over sunbathing exhibitionists, fish thieves, and lead plunderers, campaigns such as this (as well as the work of ordinary citizen spies), help demonstrate the widespread beneficial elements of the program. And, if after viewing the devastation you feel inspired to contribute money or time, the Holocaust Museum provides instructions on how to get involved. [From: Lat Long Blog and USHMM]

Tags: darfur, genocide, google, google earth, GoogleEarth, top, US Holocaust Museum, UsHolocaustMuseum

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