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Iraqis Use Google Earth to Survive War

posted by Satri on Wednesday February 14, @10:17AM   Printer-friendly   Email story  Permalink  Trackback URI  Slashdotthis  Diggthis  Del.icio.us
from the using-all-the-tools-available dept.
Military Globalization Google Web Mapping Virtual Globe
The Earth is Square was first to share this BBC News article named Iraqis use internet to survive war. From the article: "One tip - on the Iraq League site, one of the best known - is for people to draw up maps of their local area using Google Earth's detailed imagery of Baghdad so they can work out escape routes and routes to block. It's another example of the central role technology plays in the conflict - with the widespread use of mobile phones, satellite television as well as the internet - by all sides and for many purposes."

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Google Earth and Terrorism 4 comments [+]
Slashdot discuss a story on Google Earth and its collateral damage. Their summary: "British news reports say insurgents are using Google Earth to pinpoint vulnerable targets within bases in Iraq. Could Google be doing more to prevent this? Should they be doing more? They certainly could explain more." From this article: "Documents seized during raids on the homes of insurgents last week uncovered print-outs from photographs taken from Google." Ogle Earth offers a long and pertinent analysis of the issue. From Ogle Earth: "Currently, images in Google Earth of Basra are from 2002, months before war. Up until a recent update, the images were likely from late 2004 and/or 2005."
Tactical Ground Reporting System (TGR) Map-Based U.S. Military Application [+]
Slashdot discuss a story on the TGR map-based military application. Their summary: "MIT Technology Review reports that a new map-based application is the latest tool in the military's long-term plan to introduce what is sometimes called "network-centric warfare." The Tactical Ground Reporting System, or TIGR allows patrol leaders in Iraq to learn about city landmarks and past events and more than 1,500 junior officers in Iraq — about a fifth of patrol leaders — are using the map-centric application before going on patrol and adding new data to TIGR upon returning. By clicking on icons and lists, they can see the locations of key buildings, like mosques, schools, and hospitals, and retrieve information such as location data on past attacks, geotagged photos of houses and other buildings (taken with cameras equipped with Global Positioning System technology), and photos of suspected insurgents and neighborhood leaders. They can even listen to civilian interviews and watch videos of past maneuvers. "The ability ... to draw the route ... of your patrol that day and then to access the collective reports, media, analysis of the entire organization, is pretty powerful," says Major Patrick Michaelis. "It is a bit revolutionary from a military perspective when you think about it, using peer-based information to drive the next move. ... Normally we are used to our higher headquarters telling the patrol leader what he needs to think."" Some related stories copied below.
OpenStreetMap in Baghdad and Other Locations [+]
When I show OpenStreetMap to friends and colleagues, I systematically talk about its coverage in Baghdad. Ogle Earth just did a comparison of the major webmapping sites specifically for Baghdad with screenshots. As much as OpenStreetMap is surprisingly great in some areas, a user comment reminds us it varies a great deal on the location, such as in this Turkish region: Live, Google, Yahoo, OpenStreetMap. See also related stories below.
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