Everybody is familiar with Google’s Street View cars that go around and attempt to capture the world around us – one street at a time. There are places where it is hard for Google to send out cars – remote areas that are hard to get too or for those areas where the population doesn’t warrant Google’s time. There are 18 Faroe Islands, an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland. It is home to 50,000 people and 70,000 sheep – and Faroe translated is “Sheep Island.” Some would say a ‘baaad’ situation for Durita Andreassen who wanted to document the country for Google Street View.
Durita looked around and a ‘sheepish’ idea came to her – why not put Google cameras on the sheep and get a Sheep View of the country. Google loved the idea and had to fly in the supplies they would need and trained the local community to operate the equipment which consisted of a Street View trekker and 360 cameras. Residences and even tourists can assist in Sheep mapping the streets and countryside. Durita discovered one problem – the sheep do not always stay on the road – they tend to veer off and wander where the grass is greener. This did not deter her one bit as they added selfie-sticks attached to wheelbarrows, bicycles, kayaks, and then attached them to helmets, cars, ships and horses.
If you are a visitor, you can go to the “Visit Faroe Islands” office in Tótshavn or the Atlantic Airways at the airport. The folks there will lend you a 360 camera to help record your walk around the islands. If you see any sheep walking the same road, do not make eye contact – just walk by them sheepishly. Google is anxious to cover the world and if you live in an area that is not yet on Google Maps, Google will take footage from your own 360 camera or contact Google through their Street View camera loan program and they may set you up with one. While Street View is available in many places around the globe, it’s not available everywhere, and this just goes to show that a little determination goes a long way, even if that long way happens to be roads filled with sheep.