In partnership with The Catlin Seaview Survey , they used a specially designed underwater camera, the SVII, to capture these photos.
While this can be classified as cool, it is not ground breaking at least not yet. The experiences are full view stills of scenes of the Great Barrier Reef. You are not able to navigate the ocean the way you would a city in Google Maps. However, it’s a step forward in ocean education and awareness, and that’ can never be a bad thing.
“We’ve added the very first underwater panoramic images to Google Maps, the next step in our quest to provide people with the most comprehensive, accurate and usable map of the world. With these vibrant and stunning photos you don’t have to be a scuba diver—or even know how to swim—to explore and experience six of the ocean’s most incredible living coral reefs. Now, anyone can become the next virtual Jacques Cousteau and dive with sea turtles, fish and manta rays in Australia, the Philippines and Hawaii.”
The quote above is from Google and hints at intriguing things to come, for anyone interested in the ocean. I hope to see this technology quickly improve to show more than just panoramic 360 photos. As it is today, I can see users going in and exploring but quickly get bored and moving on. It’s also important to note that this has been done before and Google is not the first to try this. What Google is doing different, is incorporating the images into Google Maps. The ocean covers roughly 72% of earth, integrating more of the ocean into any Google project will hopefully lead to more education and awareness about our oceans. Interest in our oceans that this kind of project can evoke, can really help create a global shift in our thinking which will then lead to a shift in our actions. “Out of sight, out of mind” – is what really hurts our world.
What innovative ocean projects could you see stemming from this online ocean experience?
