Google Street View Goes to the Amazon

CREDIT: Tim Hirsch View full size image

Google has taken its street-view cameras off the beaten path — way off the beaten path. The panoramic-picture-taking technology will be going all the way to the jungles and rivers of the Amazon rain forest.

The Internet giant this week began taking pictures of the rivers and villages of the Brazilian jungle , reported Treehugger. The project is a partnership with the Sustainable Amazon Foundation, to raise awareness of the region and the indigenous people of the rain forest.

The cameras will focus less on streets, which aren't that common in the world's largest rain forest, and more on rivers and other pathways. The Google team will ride in boats and on bikes to snap the panoramic images. The team will even pass out camera-equipped tricycles to local inhabitants.

Once the images are uploaded to the Internet, Google Maps users will be able to drag the street-view stickman onto the Amazon River for panoramic views of the rain forest.

Google is making a habit of trekking to exotic locales to raise awareness of the valuable ecosystems. Google also has an interactive tour of Antarctica.

And in the manner of Google Street View, Google Earth lets users enjoy 360-degree panoramic images of the Indonesian coast and even go underwater at Amedee Island.

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