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Explore U.S. landmarks in honor of Veterans Day
November 11, 2014
In 1919, after the World War I armistice, President Wilson proclaimed
November 11
a day dedicated to honor and remember the servicemen of the armed forces:
"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"
Today, whether you recognize
Veterans Day
,
Armistice Day
or
Remembrance Day
, you can now celebrate servicemen and women by touring some significant
U.S. historical places
in Street View in Google Maps.
Visit
West Point Cemetery
and explore the historic burial ground of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Overlooking the Hudson River, some of the cemetery’s tombs date back to the American Revolutionary War. To walk further back in time, travel to the
Gettysburg National Military Park
in Pennsylvania, the site of the infamous 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.
West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY, USA
On the Gulf Coast of Texas, stand on the runway of the
USS Lexington
, nicknamed "The Blue Ghost," an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during World War II for the United States Navy, and the
Battleship North Carolina
, the most highly decorated American battleship of World War II.
USS Lexington, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
You can also explore historical collections of U.S. leaders and military personnel, like the
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
, the
West Point Museum
and the
Museum of the Confederacy
. Here explore photos, uniforms and tokens from past events throughout American history.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, New York, USA
This
U.S. Highlights gallery
is our small way of thanking veterans for their service. We hope you’ll take a few minutes today to honor and and recognize servicemen and women both past and present.
Posted by Deanna Yick, Street View Program Manager
Explore America’s most endangered river on Street View
March 13, 2014
This guest post is by Chris Williams, Senior Vice President of Conservation at
American Rivers
. We’ve partnered with American Rivers to share the adventure of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in Google Maps. -Ed.
For 6 million years,
the Colorado River
has flowed through the heart of the desert southwest, its waters slowly carving out a canyon so vast it can be seen from space—yet so remote it didn’t appear on early maps of the region. It wasn’t until 1869, when
John Wesley Powell
led a small exploration party on a rafting trip, that the natural wonders of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon came fully into view.
Now with
Google Street View
, you can ride the whitewater rapids, cruise the sleepy river bends, and discover the side canyons that make the Colorado River a treasured resource.
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, U.S.
Start at an iconic spot like
Deer Creek Falls
or
North Canyon
, or climb up to the
Nankoweap Granaries
. Geology fans will enjoy formations like
Hermit Shale
and
Tapeats Sandstone
. On your journey, look out for wildlife like
big horn sheep
and signs of a
volcanic dam
that naturally occurred centuries ago.
While you admire its grandeur, remember that the river is also at risk. One of the United States’ most important resources, the Colorado River provides drinking water for 36 million people from Denver to Los Angeles, supports a $26 billion recreation industry, and irrigates nearly 4 million acres of land that grow 15 percent of our nation’s crops. But it’s also one of the most
endangered
, dammed, diverted and plumbed rivers in the world, thanks to a century of management policies and practices that have promoted the use of Colorado River water at an unsustainable rate. By the time it reaches the Gulf of California in Mexico, the river is barely a trickle—a ghost of its once magnificent self. You can see evidence of the river’s decline In Street View, like the
high water mark
(showing 1950s driftwood on top of the rock), or
sedimentation along the river’s edge
down by Lake Mead.
Colorado River, U.S.
We’re proud to partner with Google and Street View to raise awareness of the need to protect and restore the river. It’s time to speak up and protect the wonder of the Grand Canyon and the riches of a healthy Colorado River.
Join American Rivers
and help us protect and restore this iconic river of the west—for today and for future generations.
Posted by Chris Williams, Senior Vice President of Conservation, American Rivers
Create your own Street View
December 9, 2013
Have you ever tried to convey the feeling of walking through your favorite park?
Or have you wanted to create an interactive tour of a memorable journey?
Well, starting today, it's now possible for you to build your own Street View experiences to do just that. Using a new feature in our
Views
community, you can easily connect your
photo spheres
to create 360º virtual tours of the places you love, then share them with the world on Google Maps.
Creating Street View from your photo spheres is as easy as connecting the dots into what looks like a “constellation” of stars. You can even connect your photo spheres to our own Street View panoramas.
To get started, just create photo spheres using your
Android phone
or a
DSLR
and then share them on
Views
. Next, select the photo spheres from your profile and use our new tool to connect them together (as seen in the example above). Once your photo spheres are connected and published, people can navigate between them on Google Maps, just like they can in Street View. Please visit our help center to
learn more about connecting photo spheres
.
I built this
Street View experience
from photo spheres I created with both my Android phone (Nexus 4) and my DSLR camera. Now everyone can virtually explore this beautiful location I visited on my vacation.
We are excited to see the different types of Street View experiences that everyone will contribute. For example, this feature can now enable environmental non-profits to document and promote the beautiful places they strive to protect. It also opens up a new tool for photographers to showcase diversity in a specific location -- by times of day, weather conditions or cultural events -- in a way that Street View currently doesn’t cover.
And, just like with Street View, you can embed our interactive viewer on your own website or build applications with it using the Google Maps API. You can learn more about
solutions for developers
.
We hope this new feature will enable people to share and witness the beauty and breadth of our planet through Google Maps. Whether you’re photographing exotic islands or your favorite neighborhood hangout, mountain peaks or city streets, historic castles or your town center, we’re thrilled to see the places you love coming to life on Google Maps.
Businesses, as a reminder, you can showcase the beauty of your interiors through
Business Photos
.
Evan Rapoport, Product Manager, Google Maps & Photo Sphere
Updated December 16: Modified use cases for clarity & added reference to Business Photos.
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