People around the world will soon be able to see more of Saskatoon’s attractions.
For the next two weeks, three people with Tourism Saskatoon are walking around the city’s many trails with a Google Trekker: a massive backpack camera which takes photographs every two to three seconds to create a 3D image.
The group had an offer last spring from Google to take part in the project to get views of places that can’t be photographed from a vehicle.
“(Google) used the Trekker to tour the Grand Canyon, pyramids in Egypt, and now Saskatoon – the best of all,” said Chad Reynolds, media specialist for Tourism Saskatoon.
Reynolds is one of the employees carrying the 45-pound device on his back.
The group will check out a number of attractions including the Meewasin Trail, Forestry Farm Park and Zoo and even a kayaker’s view from the South Saskatchewan River.
“I walked the lesser-known Meewasin Trails and they’re beautiful,” Reynolds said. “It will be great for people who live in Saskatoon to be able to see the attractions on Google maps from a new perspective.”
The battery on the camera backpack lasts around five hours before it has to be recharged.
The images are expected to be on Google Maps in the next six months.