President Bush spoke this morning after touring the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC about the new layer in Google Earth called Crisis in Darfur (found under the Global Awareness layer). President Bush praised the effort for helping make millions of people on the Internet aware of the issue of human atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. He also commented on the US efforts to increase UN peacekeeping efforts in the area and information about the sad state of conditions in the Darfur region. Here’s what he said (from his speech) about the Google Earth layer:
I also saw an interesting new venture that you’ve arranged with Google Earth. As a result of this partnership, millions of Internet users around the world will be able to zoom in and see satellite images of the burnt-out villages and mosques and schools. No one who sees these pictures can doubt that genocide is the only word for what is happening in Darfur — and that we have a moral obligation to stop it.
It’s not every day a Google application, and specifically a layer in Google Earth, gets mentioned by the President. So, I thought this was worthy of a post! The layer is certainly worthy of praise, and we can only hope other heads of state take note – and take action – about the Darfur crisis.
By the way, Declan Butler of Nature Magazine has published an article which tells the story behind the Crisis in Darfur layer.
About Frank Taylor
Frank Taylor started the Google Earth Blog in July, 2005 shortly after Google Earth was first released. He has worked with 3D computer graphics and VR for many years and was very impressed with this exciting product. Frank completed a 5.5 year circumnavigation of the earth by sailboat in June 2015 which you can read about at Tahina Expedition, and is a licensed pilot, backpacker, diver, and photographer.
I hate to play devil’s advocate, but it seems to me that Nikki Giovani placed a well needed ‘dig’ in her speech at VT the other day – which so ironically led to this more recent ‘immediate praise and action’ from President Bush.
Although I’m happy that he acknowledged the crisis and has now taken measures, I do have considerable issues about an administration that has been criticized for not reacting to the urges toward an interest in that region. It seems to take a certain step of public awareness to move this President, which is troubling at best – perhaps better described as ‘reactionary’.
But, perhaps late is sometimes better than never, despite how I might feel, and as so many others also feel during this most interesting time in history. I praise Google to send that message to the public, and I praise those who worked so hard on this data and information, so that it could become possible to spread such a message and to gain such an awareness.