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How Google Street View Keeps an Eye on Things Where There Are No Streets (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the we're-just-curious-not-snoopy-or-evil dept.

It's not called Google Grand Canyon View, but Street View can show you what the canyon looks like even though there are no streets there -- or in the Meteor Crater or thousands of other places Google Street View Cars or tricycles or other vehicles can't go. How? With a 40 pound, human-carried version of the camera rig in the cars, complete with GPS and a "pause" button in case the human motive power system needs to take a break. But, asks Slashdot's Tim Lord, what about new, small cameras? Like GoPro? Don't they make the Trekker rig kind of obsolete? Well... Google's always working on "new and improved" everything, so the next version of the Trekker is likely to be kind of interesting.

11 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Grand Canyon View by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's Deep...

    1. Re:Grand Canyon View by JustOK · · Score: 2

      i dig it

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    2. Re:Grand Canyon View by BluBrick · · Score: 2

      Holed on a moment...

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    3. Re:Grand Canyon View by JustOK · · Score: 2

      Crater love hath no man than this

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      rewriting history since 2109
  2. 40 pounds carried? by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 2

    I saw a sign on the rim when starting a hike into the canyon. It said something to the effect of be prepared or risk injury. The risk injury portion was scratched away and scrawled on top was "you will die". A 40 pound camera would certainly speed that process.

    1. Re:40 pounds carried? by simonbp · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not if you keep to the trails, and stay hydrated. The vast majority of deaths/serious injuries are people leaving the trails or look out points and falling. Or not looking where they are going and walking off a cliff. Or just generally being dumbasses. If you obey the signs, it's perfectly safe, even with a 40+ pound pack/camera rig.

    2. Re:40 pounds carried? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      The average Slashdot reader is carrying more than 40 extra pounds every hour of the day and it will also speed his demise.

      Perhaps Slashdot needs a warning sign.

  3. Under water also by whoever57 · · Score: 2

    I was playing GeoGuesser the other day and it put me under the water near Hawaii.

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  4. No such thing as a stupid question, my ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    But, asks Slashdot's Tim Lord, what about new, small cameras? Like GoPro? Don't they make the Trekker rig kind of obsolete?

    The cameras on the Trekker *are* pretty small, you twit. The rig not only records and synchronizes the view from several "gopro equivalent" cameras but it records attitude and position in realtime, and provides a way to record for long intervals without running out of storage space or energy (for the electronics). Strap a GoPro to your head and try to make streetview out of it some time.

  5. Re:So... by jeffmeden · · Score: 2

    This video reminds me that I find it distracting when people start every sentence with the word "So, "

    A discourse marker like "So" is often heard when the speaker is in "dumb it down" mode and needs to structure their response carefully in order to not overwhelm the audience. The interview was done by Timothy, so you can imagine almost all of his footage turns out like this.

  6. Google marketting by chuckinator · · Score: 2

    It's good to see that Google finally figured out this whole marketing thing, but I didn't see an MSRP on this particular gadget.