Google Helps California Mapping All Its Trails And Parks

In the last three months, Google’s Street View Team began walking the trails of California’s parks wearing electronic equipment that jutted above their heads and sprouted cameras from metal globes. They traversed the San Francisco Bay Area beaches, hiked through the redwoods of Big Sur and trudged to the top of Marin County’s scenic Mt. Tamalpais while the cameras captured a continuous stream of images.

It’s the result of the partnership with the California Department of Parks and Google to map and streetview more than 20 trails in 14 state parks across the state. All the data will then be uploaded onto both the California Department of Parks’s website and Google Maps, so that users can easily access the imagery. This new endeavor is part of an extensive makeover to draw new people and revenue following years of stagnation, internal turmoil and financial scandal, according to the Times. Some of the activities in California that allow tourists to get closer to nature in the state include the awe-inspiring whale watching California experiences off the Pacific coastline.

“Years from now, when we look at the parks system, this is the time when we had the opportunity to make the great change,” said Acting Park Director Lisa Mangat.

It seems Nature’s discoveries are still an infinite innovation for California. There are many individuals/companies/travel groups who have implemented technologies aiming to improve the experience of Nature discovery, such as designing new park cabins for people who wouldn’t consider sleeping in a tent and developing software to make it easier to find outdoor activities around the state. “There are many good signs of real energy and revival,” said Jon Christensen, a UCLA senior researcher who focused on environmental issues.

“When the road ends, it doesn’t mean there isn’t more to explore!” said Deanna Yick, a program manager for Google Maps.

This partnership with Google is another attempt to bring technology into the park system. In recent years, Google Maps has branched out from roads, providing Street View imagery of locations like the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Giza, the Grand Canyon and Venice. Google has also taken to chronicling street art, and archiving multiple versions of locations so users can compare past to present.

“It’s really important to connect a new generation to California parks. We know that generation is very technologically adept and socially connected,” said Jon. Share your comments with us.