viernes, 28 de junio de 2013

Google Wants You to Be Its Next Street View Trekker

If you work for a tourism board, a university, government agency or research organization, Google wants your help in fleshing out its Street View photo library.

The company announced on Thursday a pilot program that lets third-party organizations borrow its high-tech Street View Trekker equipment and contribute imagery to its mapping platform. This is a smart way for Google to expand its coverage while minimizing costs.

Google's Trekker backpack captures 360-degree photos of a variety of locations and landmarks, such as the Grand Canyon, Mt. Everest and the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts stadium. It can be navigated through narrow passages and inclines, bringing users to exotic places around the world without ever leaving their seats.

The program's first partner is the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), which has already started taking pictures of some of the most popular spots on the Hawaiian islands for future inclusion on Google Maps.

"We hope this imagery will be used by our partners to increase awareness and interest in their locations, potentially increasing tourism," Google said in a statement.

For now, the pilot program is open to a limited number of organizations. If you're interested in borrowing the technology and contributing to Google Maps, apply here.

Image courtesy of Google

No hay comentarios:

Publicar un comentario