October 26, 2014 – A project to “Google Map” the Chicago River got underway on Saturday. Two Google employees brought a 15-lens camera to Marina City, where it was strapped to a boat and taken on a tour from Lake Michigan to Bubbly Creek.

The camera records 360-degree views that can be explored on the Google Maps website.

Google was looking for places on the river that are most popular with boaters. The company is hoping to provide the same amount of detail as seen on land using its “Street View” service.

“The Chicago River is a treasure of Chicago and something that too few people get to experience,” says Kevin Hartman, Head of Industry at Google’s Chicago office. “This will be a view you can only really see when you’re on the water on a boat. But now virtually you’ll be able to tour the river just as if you were there.”

Hartman is also on the board of directors of Friends of the Chicago River. He says the river images should be accessible in about six months.

(Above) The Google Map camera on a boat on Lake Michigan. (Photo by Albert Bartkus.)

The Chicago River will be part of Google’s “World Wonders” project that uses Street View to offer details on places, modern and ancient, such as Pompeii and the Galapagos Islands.

Launched in 2005, Google Maps claims 150 million users. Its high-resolution aerial images, captured from low-flying aircraft and covering most of the world’s urban areas, are updated every few years.

The service is free for commercial use as long as the site is open to the public at no charge and does not request more than 25,000 maps per day. Yahoo, Bing, and MapQuest have introduced competing services. Street View has responded to privacy concerns by making sure anyone caught by its cameras is not recognizable. Google also censors some of its data, such as blurring the roof of the White House. (Left) Alan Chau, a Google technician, carries the 15-lens camera to a Chicago Marine Towing boat at Marina City’s marina.