SubscribeMaps for Social Change
The worldwide growth of the internet has led to increased numbers of people collaborating on projects and sharing information. With emerging technology comes better tools and resources for individuals, businesses, and nonprofits. Recently, online maps have begun growing in popularity and effectiveness. These maps provide a method for information sharing on a visual and contextual level. Websites and software such as Google Maps, Google Earth, Microsoft’s Live Maps, and many others allow users from around the world to identify locations and geographical trends, and then instantly communicate that knowledge with others. Online maps have contributed to the idea of a global community where every person can appear as close as a neighbor.
In addition to businesses and individuals, nonprofits and NGO’s around the world have begun using maps in a collaborative manner to help bring awareness to important issues. By showing the public where, when, and how an event or issue unfolded, these organizations provide a strong visual aid to help their cause. Individuals can quickly see where a disaster occurred, a crime was committed, or an environmental impact was felt the hardest. Providing a visual and geographic representation of an event helps the viewer understand, connect, and relate to the situation.
Perhaps one of the more publicized mapping projects of the last few years is the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Crisis in Darfur Initiative. With a special map layer in Google Earth, anyone can quickly and easily see how the towns and villages in Darfur have been destroyed. The locations of refugees fleeing the violence are also mapped, and photos and videos can be viewed as well. This powerful visualization allows the viewer to put these events in context. Not only do the images bring the situation to life, but providing an understanding of the area’s location and geography reemphasizes that we live in one world and are all connected.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Crisis in Darfur Initiative in Google EarthIn the summer of 2007, wildfires spread throughout southern California, endangering lives and homes from Mexico to Los Angeles. Eventually the fires became so large that radio updates couldn’t get all of the information out to everyone in a timely and efficient manner. KPBS, a San Diego radio station and NPR affiliate started to use Google Maps to collaboratively plot the locations and movements of the fire so that the local population could receive information that was relevant to them. As listeners would call into the radio station, the station employees would quickly update the red lines outlining the location of the fire. Also, locations of evacuation routes, shelters, and emergency clinics were placed on the map. During the fires, the map was viewed over one million times.
KPBS Wildfire MapThe recent earthquake in central China left over 50,000 people dead. Many people are still looking to find lost family and friends. Along with frequently updated maps, a number of charities and websites are also creating lists of people looking for missing relatives. These maps not only bring awareness to a situation, but also serve as an informational tool for family and friends who have been disconnected during this tragedy.
The ease of use for both map creators and viewers has led to an increase in the number of users for online maps. Google’s My Maps feature allows anyone to create a map with simple drawing tools. Map creators can also share a map, give others permission to edit it, and enable group collaboration similar to a Wiki. Much of the emphasis of Google Maps is placed on simplicity and efficiency of use. On the other hand, if a large amount of geographic data needs to be displayed, Google Earth can be used to represent locations in a simple, yet accurate manner. The location data can be described using KML, a language designed to represent geographic data and read by a number of different software tools. Google Earth Outreach (http://earth.google.com/outreach/index.html) has resources to help nonprofits showcase their geographic information to help their cause.
If you’ve created a map related to your organization, we’d like to see it. Post your link in the comments below.
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