Google Street View maps Sicily's Valley of Temples

(AGI) Agrigento, May 3 - Google has entered Sicily's Valley of Temples, one of the largest archaeological sites in Mediterranean, to begin its photo mapping operations via Google Street View, the evolution of Google Maps that allows users to explore the world through 360 degree pictures taken at street level. The operations will cover the entire area of the site: the temples of Juno, Concordia, and Heracles, the Sanctuary of the Chthonic Gods, and the temples of Zeus and the Dioscuri. They will all now be within reach from any point in the globe. The instrument used by Google for mapping is the Trekker, a special "backpack" equipped with 15 cameras that takes pictures every 2.5 seconds. Once elaborated and verified, the photographs will be viewable online on Google Street View, allowing viewers throughout the world to witness the beauty of the Valley of Temples, which was added to the UNESCO Heritage Site list in 1997. Institutions and tourism organisations will also be able to use this service to promote the territory. The images will be an addition to the Special Collects that Google Street View has published in recent years: in Sicily these include, among others, Mount Etna and the beaches of the Aegadian and Aeolian Islands. Tourism bodies, non-profit associations, and universities' interest in enhancing particular areas of the territory that are of artistic or naturalistic interest can request to participate in the Trekker Loan Program, through which Google Trekkers are loaned for contributing to the collection, preservation, and online publication of images of remote and unique locations. The initiative comes on top of training programs that are underway in various Sicilian provinces to spread digital know-how among businesses (over 600 Sicilian enterprises are involved in the "Made in Italy: Eccellenze in Digitale" project) and the new generation (over 7,500 Sicilian young people have signed on to "Crescere in Digitale"). There are also the activities of the Google Cultural Institute to promote Sicily's artistic and cultural assets, rendering them accessible to anyone with an internet connection. (AGI). .