Street View Trike takes to streets

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 19 May 2009 at 12:07

Google's Street View service is taking to tricycles as the company begins to map the UK's hard-to-reach spots.

The Street View Trike, described somewhat grandly by Google as a "mechanical masterpiece", utilises the same 3D camera found on the cars, but has been designed to traverse difficult terrain including coastal paths, forest trails and even the inside of football stadiums.

Google has teamed up with tourist agency VisitBritain in an effort to solicit opinion from the public on places the trike should photograph when it hits the streets. The categories include Castles, Coastal paths, Natural Wonders, Historic Buildings & Monuments and Stadiums.

"Users will be able to virtually tour castles or monuments before visiting, or check out which side of a football stadium they need to be on before leaving the house," says a Google spokeswoman. "They will be added to the Street View tool in the same way as existing images."

"Due to operational factors such as light levels and the weather (and what could be a pretty tired cyclist), the trike will only be in the UK for a limited time during the summer."

"Images collected by the trike will be processed and carefully stitched together, a technological process that can take several months. They will be made available at a later date in Street View on Google Maps."

The campaign represents a clear attempt by Google to woo a public which has greeted the Streetview project with as much scepticism as enthusiasm thus far. This was demonstrated most vividly back in April, when angry villagers ran the Street View car out of their town in Buckinghamshire.