On July 25, 2014, (July 24, 2014 online) the New York Times (
visit link) reported the following story:
"Google to Offer Close-Up View of Liberty Island
By MONIQUE O. MADAN
JULY 24, 2014
Alberto Elias polished the 15 camera lenses on his four-foot-tall backpack. As he prepared for his trek around the Statue of Liberty, he took a deep lunge and strapped the green, 40-pound Google Trekker onto his back.
“That’s cool,” a young boy said with excitement, pointing at the colorful apparatus. “You’re the Google Maps guy.”
“Yes, I am,” Mr. Elias, 25, said. He nodded and prepared to take off.
On Wednesday, Google took its first step toward putting Liberty and Ellis Islands on the maps, Google Maps with Street View, that is.
While Street View’s immersive 360-degree maps have been available for most of New York City since 2007, Liberty Island and its neighbor, Ellis Island, have never been mapped using the technology. Getting access to Liberty Island, which is run by the National Park Service, is complicated, and it had taken time to work through the process.
The Trekker — one of five Google Street View devices used to collect data and imagery — enables the company’s mapmakers to record hard-to-reach places around the world. In addition to its 15 cameras, the wearable apparatus has a GPS device and a laser system on top, used to measure the distance to objects. The panoramic images are stored every two and a half seconds.
The Trekker’s portability allows Google to gather 3-D images while moving through tight and intricate places accessible only by foot.
Mr. Elias, along with a Google technologist, Daniel Sieberg, did just that. The mission started at 7:30 a.m. as they and the Trekker boarded a ferry from Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan.
“For the first time, Liberty Island will be available for people to explore through Street View in Google Maps,” Mr. Sieberg said. “So whether you’re a tourist or a New Yorker or someone who just wants to see it up close, in the coming months everyone will be able to take a tour of the island and appreciate the statue’s history and beauty in 360-degree imagery.”
Mr. Elias may have had something to say about the process, but Google, known for its secrecy, would not let him talk. Susan Cadrecha, a spokeswoman for Google Maps, said that was because Mr. Elias was not a Google employee, but a contractor.
Once off the boat, Mr. Elias quickly scouted the island and booted up the Trekker, a step that takes 10 to 15 minutes. It is operated by an Android device and an app, and has a water bottle pouch at the belt.
Mr. Elias then walked along the perimeter of the landmark, capturing images of the national park from every angle.
He patiently scoped the seascape, and walked up and down the grassy areas near the Statue of Liberty several times, making sure to smoothly capture the statue’s surroundings.
With the Trekker on his back, and wearing a Google Maps T-shirt and cap, Mr. Elias attracted much attention from visitors. Numerous tourist groups and families asked to pose for photos, while others stopped to take selfies with him. Mr. Elias always gave a thumbs up.
But not everyone felt comfortable.
Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
“I don’t know how I feel about having a camera documenting every street corner,” Gisa Shaughnessy of Florida said. “It doesn’t make me at ease to know I could possibly be online somewhere.”
Street View includes images from 57 countries and has covered more than five million miles across seven continents.
In addition to the Trekker, Google captures images using cars, a rolling cart called the Trolley, a tricked-out pedicab known as the Trike, and snowmobiles. Google began taking Street View images in 2007, with developers packing several computers, cameras, lasers and a GPS device into the back of a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Before the images go live online, they have to be filed and processed. During this procedure, faces and private information are blurred. Mr. Sieberg said the process would take months.
In addition to Lady Liberty, the Trekker has been used to map the Eiffel Tower, the rough and rocky terrain of the Grand Canyon and Mount Fuji.
“You’re able to immerse yourself in imagery that makes you feel like you’re standing on the steps of the Burj Khalifa, your favorite neighborhood coffee shop or even underwater in the Great Barrier Reef,” Mr. Sieberg said of the technology.
Fiona Zhang of New Zealand, who visited the landmark on Wednesday, said that seeing operators of Google Maps, an app she “uses to survive every day,” was unexpected.
“It’s really cool to see Google putting things on the map in person,” Ms. Zhang, 31, said. “You always see the images online, but you never see them actually capturing those pictures. Seeing the Google man with a crazy camera book bag made my day. Best part, we took a selfie.”