Google's before and after satellite imagery of Japan shows utter devastation

Google and partner GeoEye have made high-resolution imagery of Japan's worst hit areas available within Google Earth and on Google's image viewing platform Picasa.

Images of pre-2011 Japan are juxtaposed with the latest satellite shots of Japan's earthquake and tsunami-ravaged areas and show the devastating effect the natural disasters have had on the country.

"We're working to provide this data directly to response organizations on the ground to aid their efforts. We hope this new updated satellite imagery is valuable for them as well as everyone else following this situation to help illustrate the extent of the damage," said Google in a March 12 blog post.

To view the before and after images users can download a KML file and explore it in Google Earth, view the imagery on Google Maps or visit Google's Picasa album.

Technology companies and organizations around the globe are helping their customers make donations to victims of Japan's disasters.

Apple has enabled donations to the Red Cross via its iTunes Store. Social gaming company Zynga has teamed up with Japan's Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children Emergency Fund to give players of games like Cafe World, FarmVille and Words With Friends the opportunity to donate by purchasing Japanese inspired decorations or limited edition in-game add-ons.

Microsoft apologized after its 'retweet to support Japan' efforts angered Twitter users who suggested the company should just donate the $100,000 instead of "promoting [their company] off the back of suffering."

Google has also set up Crisis Response pages in Japanese and English and will be tweeting updates to their mapping and imagery efforts via the Twitter account @earthoutreach.