Yes, I would like a big camera rig strapped to my rather dodgy boat
March 1, 2016 11:18 AM Subscribe
Seems a long shot, but: A friend and I are planning on doing the Falls to Statue (Buffalo NY to NYC) route by canoe this summer, and we're intrigued by the prospect of bringing a Google Street View rig with us. What would be the best way to get in touch with Google's Maps team to see if they would be interested in letting us take a Streetview rig on the route? I've poked around Google's "Contact US" site without much that inspires confidence.
Good news: Google does have a program for independent, certified photographers to add Street View imagery.
Bad news: You have to buy about $10k of hardware yourself, and they'll only add it to the map if it's at a business that has specifically requested it. All the bike trails, nature trails, etc. are done by Google employees.
I'd buy a Ricoh Theta S 360-degree camera and do it yourself. It won't be visible on the Google Maps page, but you could post it elsewhere.
posted by miyabo at 12:23 PM on March 1, 2016
Bad news: You have to buy about $10k of hardware yourself, and they'll only add it to the map if it's at a business that has specifically requested it. All the bike trails, nature trails, etc. are done by Google employees.
I'd buy a Ricoh Theta S 360-degree camera and do it yourself. It won't be visible on the Google Maps page, but you could post it elsewhere.
posted by miyabo at 12:23 PM on March 1, 2016
Best answer: Google Street View Trekker Loan Program. Also, they suggest some other methods to get your stuff on Google Street View beyond them loaning you the equipment.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:54 PM on March 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:54 PM on March 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
The new NCTECH IRIS360 is your best bet for easy quality photographs, and it's only $2K. But add more $$ for extra batteries, and another unknown amount for a custom made waterproof housing.
posted by Sophont at 8:03 PM on March 1, 2016
posted by Sophont at 8:03 PM on March 1, 2016
Response by poster: Following up (thanks to Johnny Assay for the reminder):
I never heard back from Google, and other than a GoPro in the bow that we used sparingly we more or less skipped the continuously-running camera.
Whiiiich is just as well, as it happens.
We decided to change our itinerary from doing the Erie Canal to doing the Champlain Canal, which would put us from the southern end of Lake Champlain down through the Harlem River, around the Battery, and pulling out at Liberty State Park in Jersey in about 10 days paddling. We got five days done - we averaged about 21 miles/day - and then some jackwagon neophyte motorboater ran into our canoe (we were not in it). And then it started raining when we were in Catskill, NY, and didn't stop. We woke up to 5" of water (from the rain - the canoe was a little buckled but still seaworthy) in the canoe, sodden tents and sketchy forecasts and, sadly, packed it in.
It was a bummer that we didn't finish, but it was really surpassingly lovely (and hot) in places.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 7:03 PM on August 4, 2016
I never heard back from Google, and other than a GoPro in the bow that we used sparingly we more or less skipped the continuously-running camera.
Whiiiich is just as well, as it happens.
We decided to change our itinerary from doing the Erie Canal to doing the Champlain Canal, which would put us from the southern end of Lake Champlain down through the Harlem River, around the Battery, and pulling out at Liberty State Park in Jersey in about 10 days paddling. We got five days done - we averaged about 21 miles/day - and then some jackwagon neophyte motorboater ran into our canoe (we were not in it). And then it started raining when we were in Catskill, NY, and didn't stop. We woke up to 5" of water (from the rain - the canoe was a little buckled but still seaworthy) in the canoe, sodden tents and sketchy forecasts and, sadly, packed it in.
It was a bummer that we didn't finish, but it was really surpassingly lovely (and hot) in places.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 7:03 PM on August 4, 2016
« Older I suck at whiteboard interviews. Can I suggest an... | Ethics: Getting Rid of a Defective Used Car Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by andrewcooke at 12:16 PM on March 1, 2016