For those who like to be off the beaten path

[Alchase]

Google could be your friend 


If you're an off-the-grid backpacker who dreams of sharing remote destinations with the world, this is your lucky day. This week, Google released a video and an application asking for individuals who can help further its Google Maps coverage:

"If you’re a tourism board, non-profit, university, research organization, or other third party who can gain access and help collect imagery of hard to reach places, you can apply to borrow the Trekker and help map the world."

The Trekker is one of several pieces of equipment Google officially utilizes for Street View imagery (others include the well-known cars and things like trikes, trolleys, and snowmobiles). This piece of equipment was announced in July 2012 but then showcased to the world through Grand Canyon imagery in January. The Trekker is, at its core, a 42-pound backpack that allows a wearer to access areas where bulkier camera rigs can't navigate. Google describes it with a little more detail:

"The Trekker is operated by an Android device and consists of 15 lenses angled in a different direction so the images can be stitched together into 360-degree panoramic views. As the operator walks, photos are taken roughly every 2.5 seconds. Our first collection using this camera technology was taken along the rough, rocky terrain of Arizona’s Grand Canyon."

The application itself is quite simple. Interested trekkers must describe why they want to take on this journey, where they'd like to help, and if they can acquire the necessary permissions to access the destination. Most recently, Slashdot users noticed the Trekker allowed Google Maps to add the Japanese island of Gunkanjima to Street View. The island may be known best as where James Bond was held hostage in Skyfall. So if you're going to become an official Trekker, the bar has been set.

For those without the high-tech backpack, OpenStreetMap will still welcome your mapping help without any application hassle. (But, really, where's the fun in that?)

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/06/if-worthy-google-will-lend-you-its-42lb-15-camera-backpack-for-an-adventure/

[JackOfAllTrades]

 I'm sure that some bozo will do the PCT or Shanandoa with this contraption.
 
-Steve

[Don Fischer]

If your crossing a rope bridge across the Grand Canyon with that on your back and fall off, will Google sue your descendants for the camera? Boy that thing is huge!