It's easy to forget tragic events, especially when they are so far and distant, but Google's Memories for the Future site won't let people forget the events of the 2011 Japan earthquake or any other monumental moment in human history. Through the website, Mirai e no Kioku or Memories of the Future shows countless street views via Google Maps of pre and post earthquake.
The images cataloged on the site are digital archives of the catastrophic events and its chaotic aftermath, not only in the Tohoku region where the 2011 Japan earthquake hit the hardest, but also around the country as well. Google's mission to digitize and memorialize such events not only connect the country's pain, but also shows the world how far they have come since the terrifying event. Such projects should extend to other monumental events, though hopefully, not only the tragic ones.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Memorializing Historical Events
- The trend of memorializing historical events digitally through sites like Memories for the Future provides disruptive innovation opportunities for video and photo editing software companies.
- Digital Archiving
- The trend of digitally archiving monumental events could provide disruptive innovation opportunities for online storage and cloud computing companies looking to expand their services.
- Connecting Communities
- The trend of using digital platforms to connect communities impacted by historical events creates disruptive innovation opportunities for social media companies to develop specialized platforms and features.
Where This Applies
- Technology
- The technology industry has opportunities to create new software and tools for digital archiving, memorializing, and connecting communities impacted by historical events.
- Social Media
- Social media companies can take advantage of the trend towards connecting communities by creating specialized platforms and features for sharing and discussing historical events.
- Tourism
- The trend of memorializing historical events through digital platforms could provide disruptive innovation opportunities for the tourism industry by creating new forms of virtual and augmented reality travel experiences.
