Campbell River – Destination BC and the Northern BC Tourism Association have partnered with Google to map some of the provinces trails which are not accessible by car.
Two wearable backpacks, outfitted with 15 seperate cameras that collect 360-degree panoramic images, have been loaned to the the tourism agencies.
According to a press release “from June to September, teams from Destination BC, Northern BC Tourism and other regional tourism partners will hike desert trails, roam old-growth forests and climb majestic mountains to capture iconic BC destinations rich in culture and history.”
Teams, trained by Google on how to operate the 40-lb packs, will cover as much as 1,500 km worth of terrain capturing the rugged coast, Mount Edziza, Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Parks, and Haida Gwaii, which was named one of National Geographic’s Best Trips 2015, reports CTV.
The Trekkers will also take us on a tour through the Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark, a prehistoric land once ruled by dinosaurs, and British Columbia’s newest provincial park Ancient Forest or Chun T’oh Wudujut Park, home to giant cedar trees. The woodlands are part of the only known inland temperate rainforest in the world.
The Street View Trekker technology was demonstrated at Forests for the World on Monday afternoon. Tasha Peterson, from Northern B.C. Tourism, wears the 40 pound device in a backpack that will be touring all over B.C. for the next 100 days. – Citizen staff photo
“The stunning images taken by Google Trekker will showcase British Columbia to the world, ” said Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour. “Whether it’s Northern BC’s Ancient Forest or another one of our amazing parks or pristine wilderness areas, these pictures will encourage British Columbians and potential visitors world-wide to come to our Super, Natural, British Columbia® province!”
After the images have been collect, they will be sent to Google and uploaded to the the Google Maps system joining other notable Street View Trekker destinations such as the Pyramids of Giza, the Grand Canyon and the Galapagos Islands.
What other areas in B.C. would you like to see mapped by the Google Trekkers?