Here's where you might see Apple Maps vehicles around Saskatchewan

This is the Apple logo at an Apple store in Pittsburgh, Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Residents in nearly 20 cities and towns across Saskatchewan will have the chance to spot field teams from Apple as they gather images, GPS traces and LiDAR for use in the company’s Maps app.

Panoramic images will be used in Apple’s "Look Around" feature, while GPS traces act as the core of building an accurate virtual model of roadway networks.

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is similar to RADAR. Utilizing light to detect shape and form, the technology is used to establish the height, width and depth of buildings and other structures for multi-dimensional representation.

The teams are scheduled to visit 18 communities from Aug. 21 to 27th. They include:

The surveying work will be conducted by a fleet of vehicles branded "Apple Maps."

In larger centres like Toronto and Vancouver, the company also utilizes portable backpack-type systems to map areas where vehicles aren’t allowed.

Similar to image collection done by Google, Apple will censor faces and license plates on images published for use in the company’s “Look Around” feature in Maps.

The tech giant added that anyone can request a face or license plate be censored by emailing: [e-mail].

Alternatively, users can also take advantage of the “Report an Issue” feature in Maps.

It’s not the first time Apple has visited the land of living skies — Apple’s last survey of the province occurred in 2022.

Similar surveys are scheduled in Alberta and Manitoba.

Field teams are set to visit 20 locations in Alberta from Aug. 26 to Sept. 9 while personnel will visit 24 different areas and communities in Manitoba from Aug. 15 to the 22.