谷歌設法將南蘇丹列入地圖
To help south Sudan prepare for independence, Internet giant Google is training volunteers to help improve maps of the new country. While the initiative aims to facilitate development in the south, it also could have political implications.
爲了幫助南蘇丹爲獨立作準備，互聯網搜索引擎巨頭谷歌公司正在培訓志願者，幫助這個國家修定地圖。雖然這一項目旨在促進南蘇丹的發展，但也可能帶來政治影響。
What is a country without a map? On the brink of independence, south Sudan lacks a lot of basic information about its own towns and communities.
沒有地圖的國家是什麼國家？馬上就要獨立的南蘇丹缺少有關其城鎮和社區的基本信息。
Now, a project organized by Google, the World Bank and other organizations is recruiting volunteers with local knowledge of the region to fill in the gaps.
現在，由谷歌公司、世界銀行和其它組織開展的一個項目正在招募熟悉該地區情況的志願者填補這一空缺。
France Lamy, program director for , explained the system at a "mapping Sudan" conference in Nairobi.
谷歌的慈善機構的項目主任弗朗斯.拉米在內羅畢舉行的“爲蘇丹製作地圖”的會議上介紹了這個系統。
"Map Maker is a web mapping collaborative platform, which combines high resolution imagery while also allowing the communities to map features that they know such as schools, roads, hospitals, using high-resolution imagery as background information," said Lamy. "So this is to map basic infrastructures."
他說：“谷歌的地圖製作工具是一個網上地圖編輯平臺，包含了高分辨率圖像，用戶可以添加他們所熟知的學校、道路、醫院等地圖信息，用高分辨率圖像作爲背景信息。這樣就可以添加最基本的地圖信息。”
Here’s how it works. Pretty much anybody with Internet access can add information to Google’s satellite map images using Map Maker. They click on a building and identify it as a school. Or click on a stretch of road and write in the name. The information is checked and verified by other volunteers.
它是這樣運作的。幾乎任何能上網的人都能使用地圖製作工具(Map Maker)在谷歌的衛星地圖上添加信息。例如選中一棟建築，然後標上這是一所學校，或者選一段路，標上路名。添加的這些信息由其它志願者檢查和確認。
In south Sudan in particular, the point is to help improve maps so that the government can identify where services like schools and hospitals are most needed. It also could help non-governmental organizations and aid workers better serve the area.
尤其對於南蘇丹，這一項目是要幫助修定地圖，這樣政府就能夠了解哪裏最需要學校和醫院等服務。它還能幫助非政府組織和援助人員更好地爲該地區服務。
"What the United Nations indicated, what was important to map, was the main cities, especially in local, rural areas, and also the transportation networks," said Lamy.
谷歌的慈善機構的項目主任弗朗斯.拉米說：“聯合國表示，對於地圖而言重要的就是當地的主要城市、農村地區和交通網絡。”
Organizers deny that the program could be used for political purposes as northern and southern Sudan battle over the future boundaries of the two countries.
北蘇丹和南蘇丹爲兩國未來的邊界爭論不休，組織者否認這一項目可能被用作政治目的。But Charles Mona, who heads the south's mapping office, said the data that the Google project provides could still help the south in the border dispute.
但是，南蘇丹地圖製作辦公室主任查爾斯.莫納說，谷歌這個項目所提供的數據仍可能對南蘇丹在邊界爭論中有幫助。
"The data we are having, we are collecting, can show a distinct border between the north and the south, but as I was saying, some people may not accept that fact," said Mona. "So unless that political will is there, it will be not much help."
他說：“我們所擁有的、所收集的數據，能夠顯示北蘇丹與南蘇丹清晰的邊界，但正如我所說的，一些人可能不接受這一事實。因此，除非有政治意願，否則沒多大幫助。”
Some southern Sudanese also remain skeptical about the project.
一些南蘇丹居民也對這個項目持懷疑態度。
Bol Agoot is a 25-year old economics student at Nairobi University and a native of Southern Kordofan, one of the disputed areas.
25歲的波爾.阿古特是內羅畢大學經濟系的學生，他是爭議地區之一南柯多方的原住民。
"It should start from south Sudan rather than starting from the Diaspora - we are just a group," said Agoot. "We don't know who is doing what in south Sudan. So we expect this program to be between the government and the Google and the World Bank. But the way it is started, it looks like it is the World Bank and the Google and then later they will invite southern Sudan to join them."
他說：“應該從南蘇丹而不是從戴斯普拉地區開始 - 我們是一個族羣。我們不知道誰在南蘇丹做什麼。所以我們預計這個項目是政府與谷歌和世界銀行的合作。不過從這個項目的啓動來看，像是世行與谷歌的項目，然後他們將邀請南蘇丹加入。”
The event in Nairobi was the second mapmaking conference hosted by Google and the World Bank, following a first effort in Washington in April. Organizers hope to hold the next session in south Sudan.
內羅畢的這個會議是谷歌和世行舉行的第二次地圖製作會議，第一次會議4月份在華盛頓舉行。組織者希望下次會議在南蘇丹召開。
