Google Trekker putting Edmonton nature trail on the map

Members of the Nature Conservancy of Canada are donning a Google Street View backpack to make an Edmonton-area hiking trail entirely viewable online.

The backpack is equipped witha 360-degree camerato recordthe walk andpost the images later onGoogle Street View.

As Carissa Wasyliw walks thenarrow trailon the Hicks property in the Cooking Lake Moraine, surrounded by knee-high bush and shrubs, it looks like she has a Star Wars-esque droid on her back.

It's actually a round Google camera that contains 15 lenses that takes pictures every two and a half seconds, capturing panoramic views.

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For the Nature Conservancy of Canada employee, it's all about capturing part of a diverse natural area just east of Edmonton that features mule deer, moose, elk and red-tailed hawks.

"There's wetlands and shrublands, and shrubland forest," said Wasyliw. "The mixture of that is nice, and it provides an excellent habitat for birds and wildlife."

It's expected to take about a year for thetrail to be viewable online.

"The really great thing about Google Trekker being out on our property is it's going to give our supporters and Google users across the world an opportunity to see some of our conservation work," saidCarysRichards of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada has been using Google Street View's Trekker for three years to showcasetheir natural areas on the online mapping service.

The group currently has 18 areas viewable on Google Street View and on their website.

@Travismcewancbc

Travis.mcewan@cbc.ca