Google Earth

Google Inc. has agreed to replace pre-Katrina satellite imagery of New Orleans with images of the city after the devastation of the 2005 hurricane, according to a blog post by John Hanke, director of Google Maps/Local/Earth.

The company made the decision after receiving a letter (download PDF) from U.S. Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, on Google's decision to "resurrect" the city of New Orleans by replacing satellite imagery from after Hurricane Katrina on its Web site with images taken before the storm.

Some 140 kilometers from Mumbai, farmers are turning to technology to fight for their rights. Four months ago, Pen Taluka's farmers were told that the State government was acquiring their land to help build the 25,000 acre Maha Mumbai SEZ. That's when Arun Shivkar, an activist of the SEZ Hatao Virodh Samiti logged onto to Google Earth.

"We used Google technology to prove to the authorities that the land is fertile," says Shivkar. He says initially state authorities claimed that only a small portion of the earmarked land is fertile and that some parts of it is submerged by salty creek water. That means lower compensation for the farmers.