Can’t quite make it out to one of Michigan’s picturesque places? Want a little sample of what you might see before you go? Well, now, Google Street View is going to have a whole lot of important and notable Michigan destinations in it.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (who oversees the Pure Michigan campaign) has been working in cooperation with Google Maps to bring panoramic, walk-through imagery of some of the “most amazing” places in Michigan to anyone who has access to Google Maps and Street View.
Through the Google Trekker Loan program, people online will be able to gain a first-person experience from locations not accessible by car, such as nature trails and landscapes.
What is the Google Trekker? It’s kind of the most ridiculous backpack you’ve ever seen. It is a camera you wear on your back with 15 separate lenses that capture photos every 2.5 seconds. Because it’s “portable” (as you can see by the picture, it’s still kind of ungainly and it is about 40 pounds) it allows Street View to go in places the vehicle-mounted version of the camera couldn’t.
“Our team here at Michigan Economic Development Corporation is extremely excited to get to make history with one of the leading technology companies by mapping these locations,” said MEDC Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Leslie Hornung. “Many people may not yet have had an opportunity to explore these destinations in person, so we are happy to have the chance to show these locations to the world.”
The maps will be available on Google starting in 2015. What places in Michigan do you think the world should see on Google Street View?