Bringing a story to life online
The Genocide Mapping Project is an initiative of the United States Holocaust Museum and GoogleEarth. Drawing on data collected from the US State Department, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Amnesty field researchers, photographers and film makers – the Project provides compelling visual evidence of the crisis.
The Genocide Mapping Project operates as a ‘layer’ system, initially presenting us with an aerial view of Darfur. The first layer depicts damaged or destroyed villages by comparing satellite photos with recent images to identify affected areas. For example, clicking on ‘Ankaa’ will launch a picture of the village and detail the number of families that once lived there.
The second layer identifies the location and number of internally displaced persons in Darfur and refugees in Chad. A click on the village of Fina in North Darfur will generate an image of a boy who has fled to Fina after surviving attacks by Janjaweed in the town of Kidanir. We learn that Fina had a pre-war population of 7000, which has now swelled to over 17,000 as people flee from surrounding areas. This layer provides a visual representation of the 2.5 million Darfurians struggling to survive in camps, villages and other locations throughout Darfur and the 200,000 people estimated to be in refugee camps in Chad.
Photos and videos make up the third layer of the map. We are presented with images that capture daily life in the refugee camps and portraits of Darfurians which reflecting a sense of humanity and suffering.
Testimonies collected by Amnesty field researchers make up the fourth and final layer of the site. Personal stories from genocide survivors can then be connected to the aerial photos and statistical information presented in the previous layers.
The red flames represent villages that have been destroyed
Photographer :
atmasphere
Through GoogleEarth, users can create their own instructional tour and presentation of Darfur – adding place marks to identify stolen villages and refugee camps. The Holocaust Museum also provides an overview of the crisis in Darfur, complete with downloadable fact sheets and lists of 5 Things You Can Do to help confront genocide. For more on this, go to:
Sudan – Darfur Overview
In July 2007, The Holocaust Museum also launched
World is Witness – a ‘geoblog’ which documents and maps genocide and related crimes against humanity via posts from field workers in places such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia and Rwanda.
Why are projects like this so powerful?
Through the Genocide Mapping Project and the World is Witness blog, the Holocaust Museum issues an urgent and compelling call to action to individuals, governments and institutions. Visual evidence of the crisis connects users from all over the world to the reality of Darfur. The project highlights how technology can be harnessed to bring a third world crisis into people’s homes.
