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Google Equips Canal & River Trust Volunteer-Hikers with Newly Upgraded Street View Backpacks

In connection with a project to map out more of England and Wales’ historical sites, Google has sent a number of Canal & River Trust volunteer-hikers on a backpacking mission. The lucky hikers will each be taking along Google’s newly upgraded Trekker to capture Street View images in the most remote areas. Google will then use those images to map out canals and waterways. The trekking mission started at Regent’s Canal in London through the “Seven of Wonders of the Waterways” in England, up to Stoke Bruerne in South Northamptonshire, one of the many most picturesque canal villages in the country.

Once accomplished, this will surely make backpacking adventure  in England even more enjoyable than it already is.

About Google’s Upgraded Street View Trekker

The Google Trekker backpack has made the task of mapping out the most remote locations possible; particularly routes to the world’s extraordinary destinations including those located in cities with complex structures and in developing countries.

Light enough to carry in a hiker’s backpack, the Street View device can be set up in automobiles, boats or even in zip lines. In December 2018, Google released an upgraded version, still outfitted with 15 cameras capable of capturing 360 degree images every 2.5 seconds, but lighter at 40 lbs.instead of the previous 44 lbs. The upgrades include broader aperture and higher-resolution sensors to produce photos with sharper images.

Not anyone can get a Google Trekker though, as it is made available only to non-profit organizations, government agencies, tourism boards, university research groups and other similar undertakings via Google’s Trekker Loan Program.

About Canal & River Trust

Canal & River Trust is a charitable organisation founded in 2012 to take on the lifetime task of caring for 2,000 miles of 200-year-old waterways running as canals and rivers in aqueducts, tunnels, reservoirs, under bridges and along docks.

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