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Google Street View Heads Into the Grand Canyon

Posted by Soulskill on from the there-seems-to-be-a-giant-cliff-here dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes "Google is taking Street View down — into the Grand Canyon, that is. 'On its first official outing, the Street View team is using the Trekker — a wearable backpack with a camera system on top — to traverse the Grand Canyon and capture 360-degree images of one of the most breathtaking natural landscapes on the planet,' read an Oct. 24 posting on Google's Official Blog. The Trekker automatically records high-quality images as the operator walks. Google's initial foray into the canyon will take place around the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, which includes some famous paths such as the Bright Angel Trail. Google promised to make the images live (at some point) on Google Maps. 'The narrow ridges and steep, exposed trails of the Grand Canyon provide the perfect terrain for our newest camera system,' the blog added."

21 comments

  1. Why Bother? by dmomo · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can easily get to the center of the Grand Canyon by pulling out my iPad, opening the Maps App and requesting directions to Galway, Ireland.

    1. Re:Why Bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This sounds like an amazing job. Get paid to hike in a beautiful place? I'm sure it doesn't pay much, but it's a job I'd love to wake up and go to everyday.

  2. Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One less reason to go outside. Let's do some other national parks, Disneyland and a couple mountain tops and call it a day.

  3. When I First Saw The Headline... by lobiusmoop · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought they were going to do a 'Thelma and Louise' with the Google Maps car.

    --
    "I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
    1. Re:When I First Saw The Headline... by dkleinsc · · Score: 1

      Not as much fun as doing a "General Lee" or an "Evel Kneivel" with a Google Maps car.

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
    2. Re:When I First Saw The Headline... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought they were going to do a 'Thelma and Louise' with the Google Maps car.

      thelma and louise? you sound like an old fart.

      don't you have the younger generation's paychecks to rob or something? wait you do it by voting so they don't strictly call it "robbery". service employees to hassle? churches to attend? homeowner's associations to run? one-land roads to go 20mph below the speed limit in during rush hour? aarp mags to read? you know old people stuff like that, so you can fuck the younger generations real good and hard.

    3. Re:When I First Saw The Headline... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be honest, I'd rather watch that than actually do it.

    4. Re:When I First Saw The Headline... by Eightbitgnosis · · Score: 1

      Same here. It would have made for an interesting series of pictures

    5. Re:When I First Saw The Headline... by wumingzi · · Score: 1

      Careful whippersnapper, or I'll swing my walker at you!

      (Thelma and Louise makes you an old fart? That film came out 20 years ago. I'm not THAT old!)

    6. Re:When I First Saw The Headline... by blackpaw · · Score: 1

      so you can fuck the younger generations real good and hard.

      Yeah, and you really want it, nice and hard.

    7. Re:When I First Saw The Headline... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow. If you're this grumpy now, I can't imagine how you'll be as an old fart.

  4. Walking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Guess they were afraid of rumors going around if they rented some ass.

  5. Might be time to rename by Grayhand · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Their definition of "street" seems a bit loose.

  6. Nice walk, been there twice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When a backpacker meets a mule, sometimes the mule gets nervous due to the backpack.
    Etiquite is for the backpacker to meet the mule on the canyon side of the trail.
        This is interesting on narrow spots in the trail with1kft plus exposure.

    I wonder what the mule will think about that strange ball on the top of the backpack.

  7. Apple mappers are there too by Andy+Prough · · Score: 4, Funny

    The folks from Apple are apparently down in the Canyon looking for Times Square, Mount Rushmore, and the Mississippi Delta.

  8. Elphel did a similar thing a year ago... by Skinkie · · Score: 1

    Using their previous Eyesis camera Elphel did the backpack thing last year. Now since wikipedia already states they are the original designer of the high resolution hardware Google used in Europe, it is not really surprising Elphel is already ahead with development of new stuff. While last year a 360 camera + Inertial measurement unit + backpack was offered, the current development offers a 120Mpix 4pi camera where the resolution is equal in every direction, so no fisheye on the top! ...and this is all done with open hardware.
    While the camera of Google is indeed a new one, I wonder how it compares :-)

    --
    Support Eachother, Copy Dutch Property!
  9. I've seen a similar project before... by dfm3 · · Score: 2

    not too long ago, a "trail view" project was undertaken and marketed by Nature Valley (as in the granola bar). Granted, their implementation isn't as slick as Google Maps and it hasn't been updated in a while.

  10. Google maps seem to be getting worse, actually... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Lately, Google maps have been increasingly bad -- innaccurate and spammy.

    Is it just my google maps android app, or have other people noticed this too?

  11. Best. Job. Ever. by sizzop · · Score: 1

    Please refer to subject.

  12. Re:Google maps seem to be getting worse, actually. by mla_anderson · · Score: 1

    Everyone copies Apple.

    --
    Sig is on vacation
  13. Where was I.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    when they were taking applications for these jobs?