Human Rights IT Tools to Map Darfur Genocide

The magazine Scientific American reports that Google and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum have launched an online mapping project to provide evidence of atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. Many human rights groups have called the mass killings at the hands of Sudan government-sponsored militia a form of “genocide”.

“Using high-resolution imagery [from Google Earth], users can zoom into Darfur to view more than 1,600 damaged or destroyed villages, providing what the Holocaust Museum says is evidence of the genocide”.

The BBC News service reports today in an article entitled Google Earth turns spotlight on Darfur that the project promoters hope people will put pressure on their governments to stop the violence that has killed 200,000 people and chased millions from their homes:

“Each information screen has a link for people to follow for advice on what they can do to help – including writing letters to politicians”.

“And with some 200 million people using Google Earth over the past two years, the scheme’s potential reach is huge”.

“The museum’s Genocide Prevention Mapping Initiative – which aims to halt violence before it becomes genocide – could be extended to other conflicts in the future”.

On Library Boy, I’ve mentioned other examples of how various groups are using the tools of the web to further human rights work.