Geo and Tech Tools for Social Good
For many people in the world, technology alters and changes their lives in fundamental ways. The list of tech tools for social good is constantly evolving and expanding, as organizations and start-ups create new apps, programs, or devices that make lives better. In my work, I use a variety of platforms, showcased by recent maps on Iraq (ArcGIS Online) and Syria (Carto), among others.
For this post, I am focusing on Google tools, as I recently attended Google’s annual Geo for Good Summit in Mountain View, CA. This training is built for nonprofit mapping and technology specialists, in particular for those who use programs such as Google Earth for mapping and analysis. Several of Google’s tools can be used for social good with relatively little training, to be further explored below.
Crisis Map
The Google Crisis Map is run by its Crisis Response team, which creates tools for first responders and survivors during natural disasters. These interactive maps show shelter locations, emergency numbers, and storm paths, to name a few of many possibilities. The main Crisis Map web page shows its most recent campaign, which is currently focused on the Carolinas (as of November 2016). For those who work in tech, the most interesting part of this tool is Google Crisis Map Beta, which allows you to make and publish your own web map with customizable layers, data, and appearance. In order to use this platform, you have to be “creating a map for crisis, humanitarian, social good, or testing purposes” (including education) and/or “are acting on behalf of a U.S. 501c(3) or a non-profit outside the U.S.” You also need to login using a Gmail account. Outside of these qualifications, there are a wide range of possibilities- from the ability to integrate Google Maps and Google Earth layers, to uploading your own data in various GIS formats. You can then export the data or embed the published map in your website, with fairly flexible usage policies.
MyMaps
If your humanitarian mapping requires a more collaborative approach, Google MyMaps would be the better option. This platform requires the use of a Gmail account to login, but multiple collaborators can be added to the same map, and can edit it in real time. Recently, during a series of anti-government marches in Conakry, Guinea, I worked with researchers to create a map of potential hotspots of violence during the protests. Each of the researchers had their own layer within MyMaps, and was able to add sites they thought could be contentious — such as police blockades — as well as important sites such as hospitals. During the protests, we were able to track social media using location-based searches and monitor satellite imagery of these areas. Thankfully, violence was minimal, but we were prepared and had a KMZ-exportable file if the situation escalated and required a conflict map.
Another recent example of a collaborative approach to conflict mapping is the “Harass Map,” powered by Google Fusion Tables, which maps out post-election harassment and attacks in the US using a simple form. Google Tour Builder also has promise for advocacy, and merits further research. Ultimately, Google added several platforms to the ever-expanding toolkit of free online tools that can be used for social and humanitarian mapping.
