Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy Announce Completion of Google Street View Trekker Project for Parks & Trails
Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia Parks & Recretation (PPR) and the Fairmount Park Conservancy (FPC) announced the completion of the Google Street View Trekker project to map many of Philadelphia’s park lands and trails. Philadelphia is the first major city in the United States to partner with Google to capture imagery of hundreds of miles of trails, parks, and cultural attractions to add to Google’s worldwide database of maps. With one of the largest urban park systems in the United States, this is yet another “Philly First.”
From May through October 2016, staff from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation in partnership with Fairmount Park Conservancy borrowed Google’s Trekker back containing a 50-pound camera and hiked more than 400 miles around Philadelphia’s park system, taking panoramic images that everyone can see and enjoy on Street View in Google Maps. The Trekker backpack is equipped with a 15-lens camera system that pops out of the top of the wearable pack and constantly records images. Each lens points in a different direction so that when combined all of the images can be stitched into 360-degree panoramic views.
In Google Street View, people can explore all of the trails in Philadelphia’s park system, including the Boxer’s Trail in East Fairmount Park in advance of the Boxer’s Trail 5K Race and Strawberry Mansion Day on Saturday, September 9, 2017. Race participants can now use Street View in Google Maps to explore courses in the park before race day.
In May 2016, PPR and FPC announced that staff would cover hundreds of miles of trails and areas around dozens of Philadelphia attractions and institutions that reside inside Philadelphia’s parks. Images were submitted to Google and are now available for anyone to view in Google Maps. Read more about the project on the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation blog here.
The Trekker program is part of Google’s ongoing effort to make it possible for anyone to contribute to Google Maps. Philadelphia is the first major city to partner with Google to capture a major park system, the largest urban park system in the United States. Any tourism board, non-profit, government agency, university, research organization or similar entity can apply to borrow the Street View Trekker and get involved in Google’s mapping process. By loaning the equipment to organizations around the world, Google can capture images from new locations more quickly, and improve the ability make these images available online for all to enjoy.
About Fairmount Park Conservancy
Fairmount Park Conservancy exists to champion Philadelphia’s parks. We lead capital projects and historic preservation efforts, foster neighborhood park stewardship, attract and leverage investments, and develop innovative programs throughout the 10,200 acres that include Fairmount Park and more than 100 neighborhood parks around the city. Philadelphia has one of the largest urban park systems in the world, providing residents with extensive health, environmental, social, economic and cultural benefits – including access to some of the region’s most famous attractions. For more information, please visit myphillypark.org, join us at facebook.com/fairmountparkconservancy, and follow on Instagram and Twitter @myphillypark.
About Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation advances the prosperity of the city and the progress of her people through intentional and sustained stewardship of public land and waterways as well as through safe, stimulating recreation, environmental and cultural centers. PPR helps Philadelphia’s children and other residents grow by connecting them to the natural world, to each other, and to fun, physical and social opportunities. For more information, find Philadelphia Parks & Recreation online at www.phila.gov/parksandrecreation and follow @philaparkandrec on social media.