Google Map Tracks Protests in Libya
Twitter had played an enormous role in the recent protests in Africa. This was evident and a reason for why the Egyptian government shut down Internet services during the Egyption protests.
An activist and active Twitterer from Iran has created a Google map of the violence and protests and shared it publicly to chronicle the protest reports on the ground as they happen. Keeping some veil of anonymity, the Twitter account is known only as Arasmus.
The map is compilation of reports that come in from Twitter. While the information is largely unconfirmed, the plots are hand-edited by Arasmus from what he calls “trusted accounts.” From his Twitter account, he proclaims “The danger of an automatic map is that you will reveal too much information too soon and put protesters in danger.”
The map includes information on military actions, air travel, warship movements, public works issues and injuries. In a time where social media sites and news agencies have been cut off from the general public, this has been quite powerful and useful.