To capture the images the PLA’s surveying vessel Yantlet was fitted with Google’s Trekker camera – a 4ft, 18kg backpack with a 15-angle lens camera that takes 360-degree pictures every 2.5 seconds.
The camera was first used to photograph the Grand Canyon and has recently been used to take images of the UK’s canal network.
Yantlet journeyed almost 30 miles up and down the river from Woolwich to Richmond, snapping panoramic images of the river which is the first in the Europe to be mapped by Google.
John Pinder, the PLA’s port hydrographer, said: “It’s great that people across the world will now be able to take a virtual journey down the Thames, enjoying a unique perspective of London. The River Thames now has a place alongside some of the world’s most famous locations on Street View and we’re proud it is the first river in Europe to be mapped using the technology.”
Ed Parsons, Geospatial technologist at Google UK, added: “The Thames is the central tributary that Londoners like myself and tourists like to navigate by.
“The river also offers some of the most scenic and iconic views of London from arguably the best vantage points the city has to offer, and we are thrilled to be able to work with the PLA to share this with users from around the world through Street View.”
