TWO women washed clothes in the dark water of the Rio Negro as a boat glided past with a camera-laden Google tricycle strapped to the roof, destined to give the world a window into the Amazon rainforest.
A "trike" typically used to capture street scenes for Google's free online mapping service launched last Thursday from the village of Tumbira in a first-ever project to let web users virtually explore the world's largest river, its wildlife and its communities.
The project was the brainchild of Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), which two years ago went to Google Earth with a vision of turning "Street View" into a river view in the lush and precious Amazon Basin.
"It is incredible; all those months of planning and then having this technology here," FAS project leader Gabriel Ribenboim said. "It is very important to show the world not only the environment and the way of life of the traditional population, but to sensitise the world to the challenges of climate change, deforestation and combating poverty."
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Trikes have cameras that continuously snap images in every direction. The pictures are woven into Google Maps and Earth services so people can virtually peer about as if they were there.
Satellite positioning equipment on trikes pinpoints where images are gathered.
One trike travels by river, documenting the journey, while a second is ridden, or pushed if necessary, through riverside communities.
Members of a Google team last Wednesday began teaching FAS members and local residents how to use the trikes and a special tripod-mounted camera tailored for capturing insides of schools, community centers and other public spaces.
The camera, with a fish-eye lens to take panoramic images, will also be used to recreate walks along rainforest trails.
"We want the world to see that the Amazon is not a place only with plants and animals," FAS chief executive Virgilio Viana said.
The first phase of the project is expected to take three weeks.
The goal is to capture a 50km stretch of the Rio Negro, and along the way train the local team that will keep the imaging gear to broaden the mission.
Article Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/google-earth-puts-amazon-rainforest-on-the-map/story-e6frgakx-1226119914874
A "trike" typically used to capture street scenes for Google's free online mapping service launched last Thursday from the village of Tumbira in a first-ever project to let web users virtually explore the world's largest river, its wildlife and its communities.
The project was the brainchild of Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), which two years ago went to Google Earth with a vision of turning "Street View" into a river view in the lush and precious Amazon Basin.
"It is incredible; all those months of planning and then having this technology here," FAS project leader Gabriel Ribenboim said. "It is very important to show the world not only the environment and the way of life of the traditional population, but to sensitise the world to the challenges of climate change, deforestation and combating poverty."
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Trikes have cameras that continuously snap images in every direction. The pictures are woven into Google Maps and Earth services so people can virtually peer about as if they were there.
Satellite positioning equipment on trikes pinpoints where images are gathered.
One trike travels by river, documenting the journey, while a second is ridden, or pushed if necessary, through riverside communities.
Members of a Google team last Wednesday began teaching FAS members and local residents how to use the trikes and a special tripod-mounted camera tailored for capturing insides of schools, community centers and other public spaces.
The camera, with a fish-eye lens to take panoramic images, will also be used to recreate walks along rainforest trails.
"We want the world to see that the Amazon is not a place only with plants and animals," FAS chief executive Virgilio Viana said.
The first phase of the project is expected to take three weeks.
The goal is to capture a 50km stretch of the Rio Negro, and along the way train the local team that will keep the imaging gear to broaden the mission.
Article Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/google-earth-puts-amazon-rainforest-on-the-map/story-e6frgakx-1226119914874
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