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Google Takes Street View To the Galapagos Islands

Posted by samzenpus on from the 1414-tortoise-way dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes "In the early days, Street View must have been a relatively easy project for Google to execute, considering the financial resources and employees at its disposal: strap a set of high-tech cameras to a fleet of vehicles and drive the latter around urban areas all over the world, recording every inch for viewers' clicking-and-dragging pleasure. But there's only so much of the world accessible via well-paved roads (or close to gas stations, for that matter), which meant Google had to regress a bit: instead of cars, it began strapping all that fancy camera equipment to human beings, who are a little bit maneuverable over rough terrain and narrow dirt paths than a four-door sedan. Google sent its Street View cyborgs into the Grand Canyon, where they recorded the craggy pathways and steep cliffs. Then it sent them to some of the world's highest peaks. Now comes the next exotic locale: the Galapagos Islands, land of giant tortoises and other unique species, where Charles Darwin researched his famous theory of evolution. 'It's critical that we share images with the world of this place in order to continue to study and preserve the islands' unique biodiversity,' read a May 23 note on the Google Lat Long blog. 'Today we're honored to announce, in partnership with Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and the Galapagos National Parks Directorate (GNPD), that we've collected panoramic imagery of the islands with the Street View Trekker.' That imagery will appear on Google Maps later in 2013. Nobody's asked the tortoises how they feel about it."

7 of 40 comments (clear)

  1. But, privacy? by TimHunter · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will they blur the tortises' faces?

    1. Re:But, privacy? by Nidi62 · · Score: 2

      Will they blur the tortises' faces?

      Does it really matter? If it comes out later this year you can just go to where the picture was taken. The turtle should still be within 10 feet or so.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  2. Poor tortoises by girlintraining · · Score: 2

    Nobody's asked the tortoises how they feel about it."

    I imagine they're feeling rather flat. How does Google take these 'street view' pics again?

    --
    #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
  3. Darwin would be upset by BenSchuarmer · · Score: 4, Funny

    spent all those months on a ship travelling to the Galapagos, when he could have just googled it.

  4. One of the things I like about Google by SpaghettiPattern · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One of the things I like about Google is that they sometimes do stuff for the heck of it or sometimes to scratch a research itch. At most other companies the bean counters would have stepped in. Or a small project would be done to obtain a short term hype to make money. Not at Google, I don't expect the Galapagos will make them anything else than admiration. And as Google employs many, many people I highly respect, I suspect the stuff they make has a certain longevity about it.

    --

    I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
  5. In other news... by FhnuZoag · · Score: 2

    GeoGuessr DLC announced?

  6. Midway Atoll by Wells2k · · Score: 2

    Folks should take a look at the streetview shots of the Midway Atoll. Ducks everywhere, and you get to see the old military installation that the US abandoned years ago.