Google Earth, U.N. Commission Reveal Plight Of RefugeesGoogle Earth, U.N. Commission Reveal Plight Of Refugees

Google has joined with the U.N. High Commission for Refugees to provide an up-close view of the plight of refugees.

The U.N. refugee agency and Google announced a new mapping program this week that shows refugee populations, and humanitarian efforts to help refugees.

Rebecca Moore, manager and founder of Google Earth Outreach, gave a demonstration of the tool in Geneva.

"The idea is to take an abstract concept -- refugees in some country that people have never visited and may in fact never visit and take them there virtually -- so that they can get an intuitive understanding of what the real issues are," she told the audience.

The agency's technical and editorial staff compiled mapping layers that focus on operations, in Darfur, Colombia, and Iraq.

The first layer shows UNHCR efforts in the three regions, highlights locations of refugee camps, and allows users to see impacts on neighboring countries. The second layer provides data on refugee health, education, water, and sanitation, using pop-up windows linked to locations inside camps and refugee communities. It also provides written explanations, photos, and videos explaining operations and needs. The third level allows users to examine schools, water points, and other infrastructure found in a typical site.

Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees L. Craig Johnstone said the maps would help extend UNHCR's efforts, improve internal administration and heighten visibility.

Johnstone told more than 250 staff and invited guests at a launch ceremony in the atrium of UNHCR's Geneva headquarters that the program's potential is "substantial.

"We need now only seize the opportunity and move ahead with it," he said. "I think we will all be beneficiaries of it at the end of the day."

Google and the UNHCR plan to expand the program geographically and add more depth to include information like cross-border mapping of population flows and locations of refugees in relation to their homes. That information could be used to plan for repatriation.