As refugees and migrants stream into Europe, risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea, Google announced a new system designed to give them critical information in a timely fashion.
The search giant joined the International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps to develop the Crisis Info Hub, a website that offers information on lodging, transportation, medical facilities and more. It's already live in Lesvos, Greece, with plans to add more locations in the near future.
Smartphones are a significant resource for refugees and migrants, and Google says it's designed the Crisis Info Hub "to disseminate ... information in a lightweight, battery-saving way," per a company blog post published Friday.
Last month, Google raised $5.5 million dollars from individual donations and matched those funds for a total contribution of $11 million to support Doctors Without Borders, Internal Rescue Committee, Save the Children and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The company has also called on people who can translate Arabic and Farsi into German to contribute to the Google Translate Community and help people who arrive in Germany from areas in the Middle East.
H/T: Engadget