Everybody can experience the Jizerská 50 race route thanks to Google Street View

The Jizerská 50 race route will be available virtually as well in Street View of Google Maps before the February start. The organizers together with Google sent a special Street View Trekker mapping device attached to a snowmobile on the route on Friday.

This device records every mile of this legendary route into a 360° view that will be available to all Google Map users, including skiers who want to go through the difficult stages or everyone who wants to enjoy the beauty of the Jizera Mountains. The Jizerská 50 race route will be therefore mapped in two unique ways: this is the first time ever that the Czech landscape has been recorded using a snowmobile and it will be the first collection included in Google Maps by the Czech Google partner.

After virtual tours of the most beautiful Czech places and sightseeing, it will be possible with the beginning of this year to “sport” properly on Google Street View and right on the 50 kilometre long route of the legendary cross-country race the Jizerská 50. Although participants are limited to 4,800 competitors each year, this time anyone who wants to can stand on the starting line.

The unique 360° view of the difficult route will be available before the start of the race on February 16th

The organizers together with Google sent a Street View Trekker on a snowmobile along the route on Friday to provide a unique 360° view of this difficult race for Google Map users. This view will be available on Google Maps before the start of this popular race that is scheduled for February 16 for everyone who wants to see the stages before the start, where the route goes or just enjoy the beauty of the Jizera Mountains covered in snow.

The first collection was taken by partner, Raul company

Although the Trekker has already visited a number of Czech places and corners on the back of its bearers, this year´s first mapping is a great premiere for Street View. This is the first time a recording in the Czech Republic has been done using a snowmobile and it is also the first recording done together with the local partner, the organizer of the Jizerská 50. “Our aim is to take this legendary race further and provide its participants as well as fans with a new experience and not only from the race track. We have our own video clip, a book, picture, and sculpture exhibition and now also the opportunity to see the tracks of the routes on Google Street View. We believe this is another important milestone for the Jizerská 50 race,” says Richard Valoušek, the race press officer of the organizing Raul agency.

What is Street View?

Street View is the popular Google Maps function that is currently available in more than 80 countries. Its users can see 360-degree pictures of streets in different cities as well as natural and cultural sights all over the world. In the Czech Republic all of the Czech UNESCO monuments, a number of castles and chateaux and natural beauties as well as others are virtually accessible. The most visited places on Street View in the Czech Republic include the gardens of Prague Castle, the historical town of Český Krumlov and Prague centre. Street View has been available in the Czech Republic since 2007 and is updated regularly to provide the most accurate reality picture.

What is Treeker?

Mapping hard-to-reach locations for Google Street View is done by the device called Street View Trekker. It is a backpack with a camera system on the top so that it can be easily worn. It can record narrow, hard-to-reach and pedestrian-only areas. Photos are taken automatically about every two and a half seconds during the operator´s walk. The camera protrudes over their shoulder by 60 cm. The photographic equipment has 15 lenses aimed in all directions. It weighs 18 kg and is 120 cm high. The best results are achieved at a normal walking pace, but it can operate at speeds of up to 40 km per hour. The backpack was used for the first time to record the Grand Canyon of Arizona.

Photos can be found in the journalist´s section HERE.