14 DAY TRIAL // Google is branching out Street View to a lot more than, well, streets. It's been doing it for a while now, but the locations are becoming more exotic with every expansion. It recently published 360 degree images from inside the Iraq National Museum.
Now Google is in the Amazon taking shots of the rainforest, as seen from the river, and the small communities in the region, places very few people will get the chance to see in person.
"A few members of our Brazil and U.S. Street View and Google Earth Outreach teams are currently in the Amazon rainforest using our Street View technology to capture images of the river, surrounding forests and adjacent river communities," Karin Tuxen-Bettman, Google Earth Outreach, and Karina Andrade, Google Street View, wrote.
Google is only now starting to shoot at the locations, so it's going to be a while until images make it online. But they're coming.
Google is working with the Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon (FAS) on this trip, in fact the non-profit organization was the one that asked Google to come and shoot on the location for Street View.
The plan is to take some shots while the Google team is there, but also train some people there to operate the Street View gear and continue to take panoramic photos without Google supervision.
Google has brought the Street View Trike to shoot the small villages on the Amazon shore. Even more interesting, and this is a first for Street View, the Trike will be mounted inside a boat and will take shots along the river path.
There will also be interior shots in some of the locations, these captured with the same gear Google uses for interior shots of businesses for Google Places.
The first phase of the project is underway, a 50km section of the Rio Negro River will be captured and the photos, once stitched together, will make it into Street View at a future date.