Schuylkill River Trail looking for votes in Google Street View competition

Google

The Schuylkill River Trail could get Google Street View treatment.

The popular recreational trail has been nominated as a finalist for Google’s Street View Trike competition, according to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

The Schuylkill is among 24 finalists that were voted on from a pool of 25,000. If it beats four others in the parks and trails category, Google would photograph the trail for its Street View map service.

The Coalition is asking locals to vote for Schuykill against competition like D.C.’s Capital Crescent Trail and others. A win could raise the Schuylkill’s national profile, the organization says, which could give BCGP political clout to help complete the trail’s development. Avid bike advocates that we are at Technically Philly, we’re going to take our journalist caps off for a moment and urge you to keep it local.

Read more

Google confirms Street View tricycle on UPenn campus, reader snaps first pictures

Photo courtesty of Scott Spitzer of scottspitzer.com.

Put on your Sunday’s best and quickly plan a practical joke to be forever immortalized online; Google Street View is back in town. On Penn’s campus, at least.

Earlier today we reported that a Technically Philly reader spotted a Google Street View tricycle roaming the University of Pennsylvania campus Wednesday, and now we have confirmation from Google and the first reader photo.

This afternoon, a spokesperson for Google said that Street View has been peddling around the UPenn campus during the past few days in a promotional partnership that provides the search giant with access to Penn’s private walks.

“[We're partnering] with universities and colleges who say ‘this is a great chance to explore our campus in a different way,’” Sean Carlson, Google’s manager of global communications and public affairs, told Technically Philly in a telephone interview.

Carlson says that Google has recently partnered with San Diego State, University of San Diego and Penn State for similar opportunities.

Read more

Google Street View tricycle spotted on UPenn campus

Image courtesy of CNet UK

At first glance, it seems that the Google Street View team is either trying to save the environment or dying to shed some pounds.

On Wednesday, a clearly-marked Google Street View tricycle was spotted heading East on Locust Walk through the University of Pennsylvania campus on the pedestrian bridge that crosses 38th street, according to reader Nick Sillik, a freelance Web and mobile developer.

“The group of college girls in front of me definitely recognized what it was and started dancing for it,” he wrote Technically Philly in an e-mail.

Read more