Google Earth has empowered millions to tour everything from factories to the moon to Mars.The top-down view of the earth has provided users with a better way to access the world around them. But Google isn't done yet. Its latest update arrived just in time to help American citizens get over their Seasonal Affection Disorder and get ready for spring.
Google announced that it had partnered with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, a local conservation group in Brazil, to create the first Street View-style recording of a zipline tour. Users will be able to fly above the forest as well as walk through the forest and watch the wildlife on their level of the tour. In order to create this experiment, the team from Google had to boat down more than 300 miles of rivers and walk about 12 miles of of forest to set up a zipline that could record miles of footage for users to explore.
According to Google Earth Outreach Program Manager Karin Tuxen-Bettman, you'll be able to see everything on Google Earth. "High up in the canopy, you can see thick moss on the trunks, miles of hanging vine, and some of the many plants and insects that call this place home......Zip back down to the forest floor, and wind through a maze of towering old-growth trees," she said. "Looking up, the canopies are so thick, the sun barely peeks through."
The team also recorded footage of various Amazon rivers, which means users will be able to float down the Rio Aripuanã, the Rio Mariepauá or even the Rio Madeira, one of the Amazon's largest tributaries.
The ASF hopes that this project will help inspire Americans to conserve the forest and protect the wildlife there.
