Google Maps Gets 360 View of London's River Thames

The Port of London has announced that for the first time, 360 degree views of the River Thames are now available on Google Street View. Though it might not sound like that big of a deal, this actually marks the first European river to be included on Google Street View.

London's Port Authority actually approached Google about mapping the river and the search engine used a combination of its Google Trekker Camera and the PLA's hydrographic surveying vessel, the Yantlet. The Yantlet took Google's Trekker on a 30 mile trip up and down the river, from Woolwich to Reichmond. 

"The Thames is the central tributary that Londoners like myself and tourists like to navigate by," said Google UK's Ed Parsons. "The river also offers some of the most scenic and iconic views of London from arguably the best vantage points the city has to offer, and we are thrilled to be able to work with the PLA to share this with users from around the world through Street View."

The news follows Google's decision to photograph Britain's canals with the Trekker backpack. The pack measures 4 feet tall and is fitted with a 15-angle lens camera that takes a photograph every 2.5 seconds. The Canada & River Trust got a loan of one of the Trekkers from Google and planned to spend a month walking the 40 pound Trekker over 100 miles to capture the canals for Street View.

You can check out the Thames on Street View here.

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