Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was inspired by the remote Galapagos Islands, and now Google in partnership with Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) is soon offer a 360 degree view of this hidden natural gem, the tech giant said in a blog post on Thursday.
Google sent hikers to the Galapagos with Street View gear called "trekkers," 42-pound computer backpacks with large, soccer ball-like cameras mounted on a tower. The crew will then hand over these files to the engineering team, who will stitch the files together into a seamless, explorable landscape to be released on Street View later this year. Google did not offer further details as to when the service will be available.
"Our 10-day adventure in the Galapagos was full of hiking, boating and diving around the islands (in hot and humid conditions) to capture 360-degree images of the unique wildlife and geological features of the islands with the Trekker," explains Raleigh Seamster, Project Lead, Google Maps.
"We captured imagery from 10 locations that were hand-selected by CDF and GNPD. We walked past giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies, navigated through steep trails and lava fields, and picked our way down the crater of an active volcano called Sierra Negra."
Google also partnered with Galapagos National Parks Directorate (GNPD) to conduct the project, the company said in the blog. Meanwhile, as Google has also partnered with Catlin Seaview Survey to collect sub-aquatic snaps of areas being studied by CDF and GNPD.
"We truly believe that in order to protect these Galapagos Islands, we must understand them. As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words." We hope this Street View imagery not only advances the important scientific research, but also inspires you to learn more about this special place," Google said.
