Google Maps Goes Under The Sea

 

Google Maps is quite a hot topic lately, mostly due to the fact that the application isn’t available on iOS 6 as yet. And now, perhaps to remind Apple on what they’re missing out, Google has introduced their new underwater Street View collection.

 

Not that there are underwater streets at the Great Barrier Reef, but the use of the “Street View” branding means users get a 360-degree panoramic underwater view, just like you would on regular Street View. The panoramic images are of fairly high-resolution as well, and they are taken with an SVII underwater camera.

 

“We’re partnering with The Catlin Seaview Survey, a major scientific study of the world’s reefs, to make these amazing images available to millions of people through the Street View feature of Google Maps. The Catlin Seaview Survey used a specially designed underwater camera, the SVII, to capture these photos”, says Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Earth (and snorkeling enthusiast).

 

For now, there are only imagery from three of the world’s most popular dive spots found in Australia, Philippines, and Hawaii. But since this is an ongoing project, you can definitely expect more images to appear down the road.