CVB, Google partner on Trekker project

In the near future, panoramic images of spots in Springfield unreachable by vehicle will come online as part of the Google Maps Street View Trekker Project.

Through the pilot program with Google, Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau has had the Trekker technology on loan since July. CVB members Sean Dixon, Walter Watts and Steve Ross have since mapped an estimated 30 miles at about 12 locations. The images will be added to Google Maps in upcoming months, but at the request of the tech giant, the locations won't be revealed until they are posted online, according to a news release.

The CVB employees wore a 40-pound backpack equipped with GPS technology, a computer and cameras that record 360-degree images. A photo posted to the CVB's website this morning shows Dixon wearing the Google Trekker technology at Jordan Valley Park, and the CVB held a news conference this morning at South Creek Greenway Trail.

“This is another way to tell Springfield’s story and show Springfield’s assets in a way we haven’t been able to do before,” said Dixon, interactive media manager at the CVB, in the release.

The CVB will return the Trekker equipment to Google this week. A pilot program of the Trekker photos includes imagery from sources including the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, the Visit Florida consumer website and The Wilderness Society, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting wilderness areas.

“Our goal at Google Maps is to make the most accurate, useful and comprehensive map of the world,” Google Maps spokeswoman Susan Cadrecha said in the release. “That means getting Street View of far-off, remote destinations, as well as imagery from around the corner.

"We are just as excited to work with Springfield as we are with many of our international partners and locations.”[[In-content Ad]]