Google Trekker Program Allows Off-Road Street View, Invites Available
Google has begun accepting applications for its Street View Trekker program, which gives volunteers a backpack camera to capture panoramic images from exotic locales around the world. The Mountain View, Calif., company’s Street View program captures 360-degree views using special camera technology that allows users of Google Maps to get ground-level perspectives of what they see online.
invitations to join its Street View Trekker program, where a backpack camera captures panoramic images from exotic locales around the world. The Mountain View, Calif., company’s Street View program captures 360-degree views using a special camera technology, allowing users of Google Maps to get a ground-level perspective.
In a similar manner to how Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Street View vans travel the streets of cities and neighborhoods around the world, the Trekker backpack program adapts the 360-degree-capturing camera into a wearable backpack. Google is allowing select third-party companies to photograph hikes on mountainous terrain or other exciting places off the beaten path, and interested parties can sign up here.
![GoogleTrekker](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/1329643/googletrekker.jpg?w=736&f=2576b7e461ee38fa09837c45a076a718)
The Google Trekker backpack weighs 42 pounds and contains 15 digital cameras to create its signature panorama. The 5-megapixel cameras snap a photo 24 times a minute, while two GPS receivers log location data, which the Trekker stores on solid state drives, or SSDs. The Trekker backpack’s dual lithium batteries last for eight hours.
![Google Trekker](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/1329645/google-trekker.png?w=736&f=0a08765770b8544ee11ac22c8fa8c715)
Google’s Street View Trekker backpack is currently only available on loan to third-party organizations such as tourism boards, nonprofits and higher-education groups. If you could, where would you take the Trekker?
![Google Trekker At Grand Canyon](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/1329649/google-trekker-grand-canyon.jpg?w=736&f=6ed37b1ccace532e2ee2f135d9ed7f30)
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