Thursday, March 07, 2019

Following Migrant Journeys to Europe


Migration Trail is an impressive interactive map about the frightening journeys that migrants experience in searching for a better life. The map visualizes the journeys of two fictional migrants traveling to Europe. The stories are told in real-time over a period of ten days. While the migrants portrayed in the map are fictional the stories are based on true events.

Using the Migration Trail map you can follow the progress of the two migrants in real-time as they travel to Europe. You can also follow the story in real-time by signing up to receive text messages from the two migrants on your mobile or on Facebook messenger. You can also read the text messages on the interactive map. The map includes a timeline which allows you to go back in time to see previous events. However it is not possible to move forward in time. If you want to see what happens to the migrants over their ten day journey you will have to come back to the map over the  ten days of the migrant journeys.

Alongside the two fictional migrant stories Migrant Trail also includes a lot of information about the migrant experience. This includes information on which countries' passports give the most freedom of movement around the world. If you zoom out on the map you can also see real-time data on plane and ship movements (most of which are hard for migrants to access) and information about the weather.

If you zoom in on the white dots on the map you can also view the locations of migrant deaths. These are often found around border areas. When you zoom in on the white dots you can view details, such as the date of the migrant death(s). This data isn't restricted to Europe. If you zoom in on the United States you can view where migrant deaths have occurred in the USA. You can also see the location of ICE facilities across the USA.

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