Google Archives Japan’s Disaster Zones on Street View

Google's Memories for the Future site

After initially announcing its plans back in July to digitally archive the devastation from the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) has finally made those images available for viewing via its Street View feature.

There is also a special Build the Memory website set up where you can compare before and after images of certain areas, showing the immense damage that was suffered by locales in Northeastern Japan [1]. I’ve included an example of a map view below, showing what happened in Onagawa, in Miyagi prefecture.

In their blog post, Google explains:

[We] believe that the imagery is a useful tool for anyone around the world who wants to better understand the extent of the damage. Seeing the street-level imagery of the affected areas puts the plight of these communities into perspective and ensures that the memories of the disaster remain relevant and tangible for future generations.

It’s important to note that Google services were used in many ways to help Japan’s recovery effort (see our post about that here), almost to the point where it could be considered essential communication infrastructure during disasters. In addition to Google’s own initiatives, the public took advantage of Google’s many web services to create things like radiation maps, blackout calendars, and power usage apps – all volunteer efforts with the civic good in mind.

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