Canals of Venice Come to Street View

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Street View is one of the less useful products to come out of Google, but it's also home to a fascinating new form of people watching and exploration. After adding in sections of the Great Barrier Reef, the search giant's latest addition to the Trekker project is Venice.

Trekker is a new project using a large backpack equipped with 15 cameras to help it capture an insane amount of detail. Google employees take the backpack and walk (or swim) through places that can't accommodate cars. It's a laudable effort, and one I hope to see more of in the coming months.

Check out the results, here.

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7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • soo-nah-mee
    I'm not sure how you can say Street View is "one of the less useful products to come out of Google". I use it all the time to familiarize myself with places I go in Chicago that I've never been to before. I would imagine realtors find it invaluable.
    Reply
  • bombebomb
    Can't believe they think it's "less useful". Street view is the greatest tool ever for travel...I have used it from scoping out job interview locations, to finding parking in a busy city for shows.
    Reply
  • marraco
    Street view is google's second most useful product after Google.com
    Reply
  • ssalim
    Hey writer, keep your opinion "less useful products to come out of Google" to yourself!
    Reply
  • Quarkzquarkz
    This + Oculus Rift please!!!! That's all I need really..
    Reply
  • outlw6669
    I agree; Street View is one of Google's best services.
    I rate it right up there with their mapping services in general and Google Books.
    Just because something has minimal commercial value does not mean it is useless.
    Reply
  • WyomingKnott
    If you object to it being called "one of the less useful products to come out of Google," how about one of the most annoying, the most intrusive and grabby to make more money, and pretty close to the most obnoxious.
    Reply