PHOTO: Google Street View now captures Horseshoe Bay Cove, among other popular Bermuda landmarks (courtesy of Google)
A new update to Google Street View, announced today, gives travelers a 360-degree view of Bermuda's beaches and state parks.
Using the Street View Trekker, Google's latest camera system in the Street View fleet, Google was able to provide picturesque shots of some of Bermuda's best landmarks…and best-kept secrets.
The Street View Trekker is similar to the camera system used on the cars for Google Street View, except it's been shrunken down to a 40-pound backpack with 15 cameras that can be worn around, according to Google Street View Program Manager Deanna Yick. Every 2.5 seconds, the cameras fire off to produce a string of shots that are stitched together to produce a 360-degree shot. Operators can control it via an Android device.
Yick said Bermuda was chosen for the latest collection because "it's a very important destination in terms of tourism and culture." Specific sites were chosen based on their popularity.
The collection includes:
Clearwater Beach: a relatively secluded beach with shallow water and gentle surf.
Cooper's Island Nature Reserve: a former NASA site now open to the public with ample places for snorkeling and bird watching.
Hog Bay Park: unspoiled forest, walking trails, and crystal-clear coastline - made for nature lovers.
Fort Hamilton: an old Navy fortress-turned-popular picnic spot with beautiful flowers.
St. Catherine's Beach: a serene, secluded beach.
Old Rectory:one of the oldest buildings in Bermuda, now a cultural landmark.
Spanish Point Park: breathtaking view of the ocean and rock formations.
St. David's Lighthouse: a panoramic view of the ocean and city below.
Pompano Beach Club: a popular tourist destination with a calm beach and tropical bar.
West Whale Bay Park: Bermuda's smallest public beach.
Wildlife Watch Tower: a tower that was once used to watch space shuttles but repurposed to watch wildlife.
According to Google, the collection is designed to "inspire readers who are planning beachy trips over the next year... in the spirit of prolonging the summer" as the season winds down.
The Bermuda collection also furthers Street View's goal, Yick said: to "provide a digital view of the real world," to "make the world smaller" and to "bridge cultures."
"Just because the road ends doesn't mean there aren't other interesting sites to see," Yick said.
The Trekker, which has been operation for about a year and a half, has also delivered shots of the canals of Venice, the peak of Mount Fuji, the Amazon Rainforest and parts of the Colorado River (the Amazon Rainforest shot actually takes adventurers through the Amazon's canopies on a zipline).
Google is also offering the Trekker to "select tourism boards, non-profits, and organizations" to help them capture amazing views of remote and rare spots around the world.
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