Google’s Maps and Street View services, along with user-submitted photos, have long allowed those who can’t or don’t want to travel to have a look at tons of famous landmarks and other places that they normally wouldn’t see, such as the hustle and bustle of London, the Great Wall of China and the eclectic streets of Tokyo, Japan. On February 11, 2016, marking the 100th anniversary of the United States’ National Park Service, Google has announced that they are partnering with the National Park Service to bring the full natural glory of 40 different U.S. parks into Google’s Street View service for the enjoyment of international audiences, students and all other variants of couch-bound world travelers.
Parks such as the Montezuma Castle National Monument and Alcatraz will be coming to the service. Thanks to the Google Cultural Institute, a digital collection spanning 3,800 different objects from over 350 different national parks will also become available for stationary roamers’ viewing pleasure, somewhat similar to the digital field trip service that Google recently rolled out for the scholarly crowd. Famous landmarks like the homes of Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower have been stitched together from a combination of Google’s own Maps and Street View data, scans of the area and photos. The result allows a virtual tour of the various landmarks involved.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, said of the new additions, “This marriage of technology and history means that anyone, anywhere can see artifacts and sites that, provide a taste of the rich and diverse story of America… Our hope is that this partnership will not only illustrate and elevate our nation’s history and culture, but inspire more people to visit the wonderfully diverse places that the National Park Service protects and preserves for current and future generations.” A timeline for the upload and rolling out of the full collection was not announced, but the operation seems to already be underway. One such attraction, the aforementioned Montezuma Castle National Monument, is already up and running on Street View. Hit up the source link to check out the park and its natural wonders in full, 360 degree detail.