Survey the Damage in Haiti With Google Earth

You can now get a satellite’s-eye view of the devastation in Haiti with Google Earth. Google worked with satellite imaging company GeoEye to put together a map layer file that provides up-close views of the wreckage of government buildings and more in the Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Download the file to check it out. It’s in KML format, and it should load in Google Earth automatically if you have that desktop app installed. Alternatively, you can just pull it up in the web-based Google Maps app.

If you switch the layer on and off for some before-and-after perspective, you’ll see just how serious the damage is — as if the pictures circulating on Twitter and other places on the Internet weren’t harrowing enough already. Full story...