In the modern world video has taken over.  YouTube, Television, camera phones, etc have taken over our visual news and experiences.   They allow people to experience things that are happening or have happened.  They brought to the American people troops, experiences, stories, and horror in Iraq.  They stir emotions and bring calls of action.  This week, many have seen what has happened  with the Olympic Torch relay protests.

Still photos only capture a moment in time.  By freezing that moment, you can look and absorb the instant.  Even with videos from previous wars, photos capture something that video seems to miss.  Even with video of the same period, photos from Vietnam and WWII are still in people’s consciousness.  News casts on television also use still images from stories they’re covering.  By seeing a still picture, the image stays with people.

Which format makes a bigger impact?  Which holds the bigger emotional impact?  Which stays with people more?

Google Earth’s new mapping program takes you on a virtual reality tour with the UN refugee agency of some of the world’s major displacement crises and the humanitarian efforts aimed at helping the victims.

The first use of this geospatial tool focuses on refugees and displaced people located in remote areas of Chad, Iraq, Colombia and Sudan’s volatile Darfur region. Sit in front of your computer and, with a few clicks, see, hear and develop an emotional understanding of what it is like to be a refugee.

Highlighted are not only the physical area of the camp and surrounding country, but key parts of daily life such as education and health in photo, text and video format. Within seconds, Google Earth brings the daily life of a refugee camp into your home thousands of kilometres away.

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