Global MapAid

Global MapAid is a project that is trying to provide useful maps for humanitarian aid workers. The problem is, when things go blooey, whether due to natural disaster or war or famine, aid workers on the ground need accurate maps. But because of the situation, the available maps are suddenly out of date — that hospital or key supply route might just have been wiped out — or otherwise insufficient. The map may not show refugee camps or minefields, or provide the specialized information that aid workers need in particular: your average highway map doesn’t show local AIDS infection rates, for example. Today’s San Francisco Chronicle has the story.

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