Google Trekker hits Saskatoon

Chad Reynolds with Tourism Saskatoon sports a Google Trekker camera on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016. (Emily Pasiuk/CTV Saskatoon)

Tourism Saskatoon has partnered with Google Maps to bring Saskatoon’s off-road paths to the world.

Employees with the tourism group and the Saskatchewanderer will be sporting the Google Trekker, a backpack mounted with 15 cameras, for the next two weeks to capture pictures for Google Maps of areas vehicles can’t access. The Forestry Farm, the Meewasin Trail and even a kayak trip on the South Saskatchewan River are on the Trekker’s photo list.

The Trekker takes a picture every two seconds. The information captured is then sent to Google for processing.

Chad Reynolds, a spokesperson with Tourism Saskatoon, says he’s excited about the possibility of bringing more tourists to Saskatoon with the new tool.

“We love it from a tourism perspective,” Reynolds said.

“I know when I’m looking for places to visit, I’m always on Google Maps, checking out different places to visit, tourist attractions to visit, so if we can actually have some imagery of that — especially on a beautiful August week in the city — then I think that's great for the tourism industry in Saskatoon.”

He’s not yet sure when the photos will be online.