THE INTERVIEW: DEANNA YICK AND “SPECIAL COLLECTIONS”

We were excited to have the opportunity to meet with Deanna Yick, who works with the mapping technology and is the Manager of the Google Street Maps Program. As Yick talked about the many experiences people can have without leaving home, the technology came alive and seemed more real and unique.

“Street View lets users who are unable to travel see the world by embarking on a virtual adventure. This feature is literally changing the way people see the world,” Yick said.

Users can navigate through city streets, or find their way through country roads. Now Google has expanded its scope by creating the “Special Collections,” which take users to exotic places, national parks or other breathtaking vistas. Imagine instantly walking the Golden Gate Bridge, standing at the top of Machu Picchu or trekking the Galapagos Islands? With Google Maps, you can see these rare sights all on your computer screen.

“This allows us to take things off the beaten path, to places around the world that might be of interest,” Yick said. “We can see that location in one moment in time – we’re interested to see what that place is actually like.”