Google sends Street View down the Amazon

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Google says it is sending its Street View cameras down the Amazon River to capture images of "some of the most remote and biodiverse areas in the world."

The project is a cooperative effort between Google and the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, a non-profit conservation organization that invited Google to the region, the online tech publication The Register reported Monday.

Google and the foundation say they plan to capture and publish images of the Amazon and Rio Negro Rivers of northwest Brazil.

Google said it would also share images of local communities while involving them in the photography process.

"By teaching locals how to operate these tools, they can continue sharing their points of view, culture and ways of life with audiences across the globe," the company said on its official blog.

While Street View's photography hardware was designed for cities, Google says it has mounted it on a boat to record images as it floats along the rivers.