Virtual Field Visits Project FAQs

Q1. What is the idea behind Al Haq’s Virtual Field Visits Project

The overall purpose of the project is to improve Al Haq’s ability to communicate the geographic context, location and extent of the human rights violations that take place in the occupied Palestinian territory.

In order to do this we have developed a mapping and presentational tool that incorporates our own visual documentation with Google’s satellite imagery and utilises Google Earth’s 3D interface to present a clear and accurate picture of the situation on the ground.

Q2. How will this project contribute to Al Haq’s work?

Al-Haq’s primary focuses are monitoring, documenting, and advocating against the violations of the individual and collective rights of Palestinians under international law.

This project will initially concentrate on the documenting aspect of Al Haq’s work. Using the Google Earth software we have created Virtual Field Visits which incorporate the photos, video and testimonies collected by our field workers with satellite imagery to give a clear and accurate representation of specific incidents of human rights violations.

The Virtual Field Visits will be used by Al Haq’s staff in their presentations to visiting delegations and in their advocacy undertaken before local, regional and international bodies. The tours will also be available on Al Haq’s website adding an extra dimension to the online visual documentation already available.

Q3. What will be the outputs of the Project?

The primary output of the project will be the Virtual Field Visits. Each one will focus on the an individual, family or area that has been subject to the violations of human rights abuses committed by the Israeli Occupation. They will also highlight different aspects of the violations, including the impact of the Annexation Wall, illegal settlements, house demolitions and industrial zones.

Other outputs will include high resolution satellite imagery that can be annotated and exported to be used in Al Haq’s reports; and maps presenting Al Haq’s collated data on human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Q4. Has this been attempted before?

This project takes mapping to another level, using geospatial software to document human rights violations and a 3D interface to present them to an audience. Al Haq is not the first to have attempted this. The use of geospatial programmes is becoming increasingly popular amongst human rights organisations as its value as a tool for documenting and advocacy is recognised.

One notable example is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum who have used Google Earth to show the extent of the destruction of villages and the displacement of people that has taken place in Darfur in recent years.

For more examples of how Geospatial technologies are being applied in the field of human rights visit the website of the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS).