Google Street View brings the Amazon into your living room

Google has announced that it has teams in the Amazon rainforest using their Street View technology to capture images of the river and adjacent communities, enabling surfers from the UK (and elsewhere of course) to enjoy exploring the area without leaving their armchairs.

Google is working in collaboration with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), a local conservation organisation, who they are training to use equipment so that locals can continue the project after the team leaves.

The company wrote on its official blog: “By teaching locals how to operate these tools, they can continue sharing their points of view, culture and ways of life with audiences across the globe.”

The idea is to give us a sense of what it is like to live and work in the places they capture, such as the Rio Negro Rivers and the narrow dirt paths of the Amazon rainforest where you can get up close and personal with the areas where civilisation meets rainforest.

The cameras will also be mounted on boats and floated downriver, taking a variety of images that showcase the wildlife and communities along the way.

Initially the project will visit a section of the Rio Negro spanning 50 kilometres and capture images of the communities of Tumbria and Terra Preta, which will then be processed and stitched into 360 degree panoramics.

“For many outdoor enthusiasts, travellers and environmentalists, this creates an opportunity to experience the wonders of the Amazon, which will be accessible in a way they’d previously only dreamed of,” the blog said.

“We’re honoured to work with the FAS on this project to bring the Amazon online for those who can’t visit in person, and help our partners share with the world the unique stories of its inhabitants and the beauty of the place they call home.”