There’s really no street in the Liwa Desert, about 100 kilometres south of the coast of the Persian Gulf, but it has one heck of a view. In its ongoing quest to document life on the planet, Google turned to a camel to create a “Street View” of this desolate terrain.
This desert in the United Arab Emirates marks the first time an animal has been used by the ubiquitous internet company in its online 360-degree mapping initiative.
Joyce Baz, spokeswoman for Google in the Middle East and North Africa, told The National newspaper it employed a 10-year-old camel named Raffia to carry the camera on its hump. A guide set out early and on foot with the animal complete the work.
“In the case of Liwa we fashioned it in a way so that it goes on a camel so that it can capture imagery in the best, most authentic and least damaging way,” Ms Baz told The National.
Online visitors to the Liwa Oasis will see Raffia, the handler, their footprints and shadows as well as sand dunes and, of course, other camels.
h/t CNN Photos Google Street View
