Google Earth is phenomenal and is much, much more than its online cousin, Google Maps.The biggest advantage to Google Earth is that it allows people to create their own layers, gathering data and tying it to physical locations, allowing people to view information in it's geographical context. You can create tours for people to take, record images of your favorite places, or you can Map The Fallen.
Sean of the Google Outreach Team (?) has spent the past four years creating a comprehensive, self-updating layer for Google Maps showing every coalition casualty in Iraq and Afghanistan since the US began fighting there in 2001.
For each casualty, an icon appears, allowing you to click and open up the full information on the fallen soldier - the date and location of their passing, their hometown, and their picture. With another click then, you can head to that soldier's hometown to see others who grew up with the young man or woman and who also lost their lives.
When more than one soldier died in a location, their icons are displayed in a growing arc. It's frightening to see the huge spiral of icons surrounding places like Baghdad.
I'll admit, though, that I headed directly for Barwanah, Iraq to find Chris.
Separately, I'd like to point out that this is an amazing piece of code writing and a phenomenal example of how data can be presented in revolutionary and affecting ways. The web has, yet again, blown my mind.
2 comments:
www.ilovemountains.org
Are you working with the I Love Mountain folks still? I vaguely remember your bro saying that you were going to be with the Ohio Citizens' Action folks post-grad.
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