As Europe's border crisis continues, Google has launched an online hub where migrants can go to find local information on lodging, medical facilities and more.
Called the Crisis Info Hub, the open-source project is aimed at giving migrants "timely, hyperlocal information" in a "lightweight, battery-saving way," Google said Friday on its blog. Many migrants and refugees have been using cellphones to communicate with family members and navigate their way across Europe.
Currently, the hub is only live in Lesvos, Greece, but Google says that more location are "coming online shortly." The live site currently includes information on registration centers, ferries, bus tickets, hotels and more.
Previously, Google asked users to give to charities that were helping migrants and refugees, and promised to match donations. On Friday, the company announced that it had fulfilled its pledge by giving more than $5.5 million to do things such as make emergency cash transfers easier and provide WiFi in refugee camps.
Google also appealed to people who spoke Arabic and German to join its Google Translate Community to help improve translations for migrants traveling in unfamiliar territory.
"In the coming weeks," wrote the company, "we’ll continue to work closely with our partners on the ground to evaluate how else we can bring the best of Google’s resources to help out with this tragic situation."
