Anyone ever noticed or come across Google Maps Treks before? It's like Street view but is being rolled out across national trails and areas of interest.
Came across it earlier and took a look at Snowdon - all the main routes are on there. See the link below and just drag the little street view chappy in the bottom right corner - you'll see all the routes appear
www.google.com/maps/... ...,13z?hl=en
Some outstanding international ones at the main page = www.google.co.uk/map... ...eks/#/grid
Just a bit of knowledge sharing, you may already have known this.
Came across it earlier and took a look at Snowdon - all the main routes are on there. See the link below and just drag the little street view chappy in the bottom right corner - you'll see all the routes appear
www.google.com/maps/... ...,13z?hl=en
Some outstanding international ones at the main page = www.google.co.uk/map... ...eks/#/grid
Just a bit of knowledge sharing, you may already have known this.
Nice! I was just reading about this the other day because a guy who was a Google Trekker did an AMA on Reddit. From what I read though it doesn't seem like they get paid anything and to become one you need to be linked to the local area's tourist board somehow. I notice they don't have Crib Goch on there yet. I wonder if they'll get that done.
Actually it really won't be very long before Google uses quadcopter drones to map everything.
Which of these looks more elegant and efficient...
or
:P
On a side note I can't wait until quadcopter technology is good enough for them to be used in proper Search and Rescue missions. Imagine someone is reported to be in trouble on the mountainside but people aren't sure where they are so S&R send off their automated drone to go find them and report back their exact location, plus status and terrain conditions! It then hovers there, relaying voice calls between victim and the team until they get there. The future is here!!
Actually it really won't be very long before Google uses quadcopter drones to map everything.
Which of these looks more elegant and efficient...
or
:P
On a side note I can't wait until quadcopter technology is good enough for them to be used in proper Search and Rescue missions. Imagine someone is reported to be in trouble on the mountainside but people aren't sure where they are so S&R send off their automated drone to go find them and report back their exact location, plus status and terrain conditions! It then hovers there, relaying voice calls between victim and the team until they get there. The future is here!!
Yeah, with tech such as IR cameras to track body heat and GPS to pinpoint its location to within a few metres (or even more precise), then it should be possible to give them all the information about a mountain's 3D layout, and let it off to do it's thing. What I'm thinking is that it can be given a start area for the search, and let it do it's own thing to find any lost parties - running close passes to any rockfaces etc, even in zero visibility conditions.
Yeah, although the two biggest obstacles I can think of at the moment are a) battery life and b) high winds. Although both can (and will) be overcome, I'm sure.
In fact, here's my Dragon's Den idea (once drone tech is more robust). Climbers can buy a beacon which they only activate in an emergency (pretty sure these things exist already). Once activated then a drone on standby at the nearest S&R station immediately launches to home in on the beacon's exact location. Once there it can send back live-feed video and audio of the situation, as well as allow the climber to talk directly to the S&R team. If it turns out to be not too serious or even a false alarm then everything's good and the drone flies home. If it's more serious then an S&R team is dispatched, knowing exactly where to go. Bigger drones could also be deployed carrying emergency life-saving first aid equipment, like shelters, heat packs and rations, which the climbers could use before the rescue team arrives. Amaaaazing!
"Hi, we're from Llanberis Mountain Rescue. We're here to help"
In fact, here's my Dragon's Den idea (once drone tech is more robust). Climbers can buy a beacon which they only activate in an emergency (pretty sure these things exist already). Once activated then a drone on standby at the nearest S&R station immediately launches to home in on the beacon's exact location. Once there it can send back live-feed video and audio of the situation, as well as allow the climber to talk directly to the S&R team. If it turns out to be not too serious or even a false alarm then everything's good and the drone flies home. If it's more serious then an S&R team is dispatched, knowing exactly where to go. Bigger drones could also be deployed carrying emergency life-saving first aid equipment, like shelters, heat packs and rations, which the climbers could use before the rescue team arrives. Amaaaazing!
"Hi, we're from Llanberis Mountain Rescue. We're here to help"
You could probably do the same without the beacon, when the future arrives. Which is tomorrow. Can't wait.
The beacon would be to send the distress signal which then activates the drones. It would work via satellite so there would always be signal.
And I can't wait either! I'm going to deliberately get into trouble every time I go up a mountain just so I can be rescued by robots.
And I can't wait either! I'm going to deliberately get into trouble every time I go up a mountain just so I can be rescued by robots.
INVOICE NO: SKYNET0001
Invoice to:
Brave_Dave Misadventures.
Your Callout Fee : ............
Invoice to:
Brave_Dave Misadventures.
Your Callout Fee : ............
Haha.
"Rescue Number: 0047
Status: Unable to pay (again)
Penalty: 2 Years in Cyborg Internment Camp"
Damn it!!
"Rescue Number: 0047
Status: Unable to pay (again)
Penalty: 2 Years in Cyborg Internment Camp"
Damn it!!
