The United Nations is using the mapping programme Google Earth to highlight the plight of millions of refugees and its humanitarian work to help them.

The outreach programme, a joint initiative between the internet giant and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), weaves together satellite maps, photos, videos and eyewitness accounts to give viewers a close-up look at the refugee crises in Iraq, Chad, Columbia and Darfur in Sudan.

It allows users to find out about UNHCR operations, locate refugee camps and discover the impact of the humanitarian crises on neighboring countries such as Sudan, Syria and Ecuador.

Users can explore the lives of those in exile by clicking on exact locations in the refugee camps to see photos of the facilities, such as health clinics, schools, water taps and sanitation. There are pop-up videos of specific operations and events, such as a visit to a Chad refugee camp by the actor and UN goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie.

The UN deputy high commissioner for refugees, L Craig Johnstone, said: "Google Earth is a very powerful way for UNHCR to show the vital work that it is doing in some of the world's most remote and difficult displacement situations. By showing our work in its geographical context, we can really highlight the challenges we face on the ground and how we tackle them."

A UNHCR spokesman said the programme could soon develop further. "With the new generation of cameras with GPS, we can foresee taking photos of a place and uploading it directly to Google Earth. For our planning, mapping and communications unit, that would be an amazing tool.

"Over time, we can envision increasing the number of elements shown that will certainly increase the 'live' experience of the platform."

Google Earth Outreach follows a similar project launched last year called Crisis in Darfur, which allowed users to explore more than 1,600 damaged and destroyed villages in the Darfur region.

The UNHCR hopes the programme can be used as a logistical planning tool to coordinate operations on the ground.

Other humanitarian organisations have made use of the programme for their relief efforts. The British Red Cross used Google Earth as part of its logistical planning for its work in Bangladesh following cyclone Sidr in December.

A spokeswoman said: "The team used Google Earth to get an idea of the geography and terrain they'd be working in."

To date, 350 million people worldwide have downloaded the Google Earth tool.