10-25-2012
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http://www.wired.com, By Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Google Maps has officially stepped into what may be its most difficult challenge yet — mapping the alleys, ledges and trails of the world unreachable by Street View’s cars, tricycles and snowmobiles. The effort formally began on foot Monday as Google took three of its Trekker backpacks down into the Grand Canyon for the new gadgetry’s maiden voyage.
“When we were designing Trekker, we really knew we wanted to take it to these rugged, remote locations,” said Ryan Falor, a product manager on Google’s Street View special collections team, at the top of the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail on Monday. “We worked really hard to make sure it was waterproof and could handle heat and cold and all kinds of abuse on the trail.”
