The Amazon through Google’s ‘Street View’

Story from PRI’s The World. Listen to audio for full report.

Google’s Street View project has traditionally allowed users to explore urban areas from the comfort of their home. Now, Google is producing the same panoramic views for forests and rivers in the Amazon.

In order to capture the images, Google is mounting cameras on a boat that is running up and down rivers, and using an over-sized tricycle to move along dirt paths through the forest.

Google’s Street View project has received some bad publicity in the past, and some have accused the internet giant of invading their privacy. But in this case, Google says locals invited the company in. An Amazonian conservation group says it hopes the project will bring global attention to the challenges of climate change, deforestation and poverty in the region.

View video of the tricycle Google plans to use in the Amazon:

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PRI’s “The World” is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. “The World” is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston. More about The World.