Senior Constable Paul (Carlos) Spencer has developed a national resource to assist in the identification of human remains and property. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
A police officer has created a new nationwide interactive map of the last known location of people who have gone missing in the last 50 years.
Nearly 500 people are missing and presumed dead, and police have hailed the new map as a "game changer".
Senior Constable Paul "Carlos" Spencer said he came up with the idea for his map after hearing about shrinking glaciers.
"As the ice melts, human remains and property could be uncovered. If that happens, how will we start our investigation to know who it belongs to?"
If that happens, the map could help provide clues to their identity.
There are 58 missing climbers on Aoraki Mt Cook alone and Spencer started mapping their last known whereabouts.
This view of the map shows the last known location of missing persons on Aoraki Mt Cook. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
With the help of the police geospatial team, he had since plotted the location of every person missing over the past half century into an interactive geospatial map.
He put the last pin on the map in February this year, 18 months after he began the project.
There have been instances where human remains have been found with no clear way to identify them, he added.
"We have so much knowledge and expertise in our Search and Rescue (SAR) teams across the country, and within the mountaineering community, but a lot of information is held by individuals. People move on, and it's not acceptable that information goes with them."
Spencer said he had been part of Canterbury's SAR team for more than 15 years.
During his more than 15 years as part of Canterbury District's SAR squad, Carlos has been involved in wide variety of searches and disaster victim identification (DVI) operations, including the Canterbury earthquakes and the 15 March terror attacks. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
During that time he had dealt with many families, some who were reunited with their loved ones, and others who weren't so lucky.
"It's the ones who have never been found that play on my mind. Their families are left without answers and without a body to mourn. It's incredibly difficult."
The Missing Persons Map provides a new tool to help return long-term missing persons to their families. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
He hoped the map may help give families some answers.
"I don't think it can be underestimated what it means to families to be able to provide some form of closure. Items of clothing or property provide a tangible connection to a loved one in their final moments."
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