The Huffington Post | By Britney Fitzgerald
Posted: 11/05/2012 1:37 pm EST Updated: 11/05/2012 5:14 pm EST
Google Maps is most often used to show us how to get from point A to point B. But over the years, this service has evolved into a much greater piece of technology -- especially in times of disaster.
Hurricane Sandy recently barreled up the U.S. East Coast and made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29. Fires blazed in Queens, while floods knocked out power for lower Manhattan and ravaged the Jersey Shore beyond recognition. In the aftermath of this epic storm, Google Maps is providing information and assisting in relief efforts.
Several days before Sandy made landfall, Google released a "Superstorm Sandy" CrisisMap on Oct. 25, highlighting roadwork advisories, fuel inventory statuses, power outage information and more. The tool was created by Google's Crisis Response team, an organization which was formed after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the South in 2005. This group has also responded to past disasters, such as the U.S. wildfires in the summer of 2012 and the Japan tsunami in early 2011.
Take a look at a section of the Hurricane Sandy CrisisMap below:
Google has already updated satellite images of areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy. You can view the new Google Earth satellite images on the crisis map by clicking the box laelled "Post-Sandy Imagery" in the map's right-hand panel. Images reflect damage done along the U.S. East Coast and in Haiti.
Google's mapping service is an open source format that lets users "collaborate" on maps that serve a particular purpose. Volunteer organizations are using Google Maps as a way to notify the public about what locations need specific donations or a few extra hands to assist in cleanup.
Hurricane Sandy recently barreled up the U.S. East Coast and made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29. Fires blazed in Queens, while floods knocked out power for lower Manhattan and ravaged the Jersey Shore beyond recognition. In the aftermath of this epic storm, Google Maps is providing information and assisting in relief efforts.
Several days before Sandy made landfall, Google released a "Superstorm Sandy" CrisisMap on Oct. 25, highlighting roadwork advisories, fuel inventory statuses, power outage information and more. The tool was created by Google's Crisis Response team, an organization which was formed after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the South in 2005. This group has also responded to past disasters, such as the U.S. wildfires in the summer of 2012 and the Japan tsunami in early 2011.
Take a look at a section of the Hurricane Sandy CrisisMap below:
And for New York-specific information, Google has created a similar map to aid the city's relief efforts (seen here).
Google has already updated satellite images of areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy. You can view the new Google Earth satellite images on the crisis map by clicking the box laelled "Post-Sandy Imagery" in the map's right-hand panel. Images reflect damage done along the U.S. East Coast and in Haiti.
Google's mapping service is an open source format that lets users "collaborate" on maps that serve a particular purpose. Volunteer organizations are using Google Maps as a way to notify the public about what locations need specific donations or a few extra hands to assist in cleanup.
