Google contracted Thai triathlete Panupong Luangsa-ard to walk 500km over two years, capturing those hard to reach places for Google’s Street View. Carrying an 18kg 360° camera on his back all the while, he was able to map out 150 new places of interest for the giant online search engine.
“While collecting just the tea plantations and strawberry fields, he burned through four pairs of shoes,” a Google rep told Mashable.
Overall, Luangsa-ard covered a total of 500 000km using various means of transport during his tour.
Google’s Trekker loan programme lends out its special camera to intrepid explorers so that they can continue mapping those locations that a regular Google Street View vehicle cannot reach. If you’d like to be one of these loan programme contractors, you can apply online today.
The programme requires you to be either a tourism board, non-profit, university, research organization or other third party who can gain access and help collect imagery of hard to reach places.
Check out these incredible images from Panupong Luangsa-ard’s Thailand trekking adventure, which can now be seen on Google Street View’s Thailand Highlights:
Source: http://m.traveller24.news24.com/Traveller/Explore/google-guy-walks-500km-across-thailand-to-capture-incredible-street-view-data-20160401
