Today, Google Maps unveils a new Street View feature: underwater panoramic views of six special sea spots.
Today, Google Maps unveils a new Street View feature: underwater panoramic views of six special sea spots.
Incredible! Absolutely incredible! That is all I can say about this!
Many of us have never and may never get to explore the ocean and its wildlife so thankfully the good folks at Google have done it for us.
The idea is to create a virtual map of the oceans, documenting the state of fragile ecosystems as they change over time, and sharing a vivid experience of part of our world that few humans get to see up close and in person, in real life.
These images were collected over 6 months by small teams of divers with 3 cameras attached to each vehicle capturing 360º panoramas and the result is nothing short of spectacular! They were collected by Google’s partner, The Catlin Seaview Survey and Richard Vevers, Project Director said this:
“The biggest problem with the ocean is that it’s out of sight and out of mind for most of us,” said Vevers. “99% of people have never gone for a dive and never will. One of the biggest issues around conservation is engaging people with the ocean, and this is a powerful way to accomplish that. It is a scientific project to create a baseline for observing how the oceans are changing, but it also creates awareness of why that matters.”
Check it out at maps.google.com/ocean.
Source: boingboing.net
