Tuesday, July 14, 2009

From World Globes to Humanitarian GPS


I always love a World Globe when I see one.
Like so many
children of my time, I was fascinated by this
intelligent toy/
Educational aid so prominently displayed
in many a living room I visited back in India.


Relatives who returned to India from their work overseas

used the Globe to sneak in many an exciting tale of villages
in Africa; Colonels in the Indian Army leaned back at their desks
and expertly flicked their wrists to outline regions where they
had seen combat, and my school teachers came up with truly
creative ways to incorporate the Globe into subjects other than
Geography and History. The ability to pinpoint a country location
in the shortest time was something we considered a great talent,
simple pleasures in the days before computers, Google
Maps and GPS
entered our lives. The importance of these
World Globes have thus receded but their history and unique
designs will always have a respected place in our memories.

Nowadays, it's all about high-speed locating of areas of critical
importance, as we know from the 'pinpointing' of targets in Iraq,
and the locating of missing personnel in similar situations.

Enter MapAction.

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