Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Google is celebrating the arrival of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics with some additions
to Google Street View. Google maps users will be able to leave the the typical paved roadways
and venture to the ski slopes thanks to the Google Snowmobile.
The snowmobile is equipped with the same 360 degree camera used by typical Google Street
View vehicles.
The virtual photographs reach elevations as high as 7000 feet including the peak of Whistler
Blackcomb Mountain in British Columbia. Google's snowmobile ventured on ski trails and even
down the slopes.
Google Earth users will have even more to look at with 3D renderings of the competition
venues, ski facilities, and jumps and ramps that can be overlaid onto the maps for flyovers
and exploration.
This isn't the first time Google has gone off-road. Google's Trike has left the pavement
to photograph historic sites like Stonehenge and the Santa Monica Pier.
Nick Barber, IDG News Service.