Google Inc yesterday confirmed that it has taken photographs of Kinmen County in an effort to expand the coverage of its panoramic street-level images, Street View.
However, the US Internet service specialist declined to reveal how many scenic spots on Kinmen it has shot or its schedule for including the pictures on its Street View service.
An operator was seen in Kinmen last week carrying Google’s Street View “Trekker” — the compact backpack version of its Street View vehicle — and taking pictures of the island’s historic Jyuguang Tower, a structure that is accessible only on foot.
A Google Street View car was also seen driving through Kinmen’s downtown areas and past the eponymous Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor distillery.
Google uses its new Trekker camera to shoot images of scenic spots that its other devices have a hard time reaching.
The company has put cameras on vehicles such as cars, bicycles and trolleys to help capture Taiwan’s street views, and has achieved 90 percent coverage of the nation to date.
However, the smaller Trekker device is being introduced to expand the service’s coverage to locations accessible only on foot, and a contractor has been hired to handle the project, the company said.
According to Google’s Web site, the Trekker is operated by an Android device and consists of 15 lenses angled in different directions so images can be stitched together into 360° panoramic views, which will be featured on the Google Maps service.
The company said earlier this month that it had taken pictures of more than 10 hard-to-access scenic locations in Taiwan with the Trekker backpack camera.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS