Google pays a visit

Google is putting Concordia on the maps.

The software giant made its presence felt at both Concordia campuses on Thursday, August 18, shooting hundreds of pictures for Street View, part of the Google Maps and Google Earth online services.

Lucy Niro, Concordia Director of Web Communications, acted as host and tour guide for Jonathan Chang and Julio Tang, Toronto students working for Google for the summer. Niro notes that Concordia is already on Google Maps, but it was time for an update.

"I'm excited about this, because Concordia is undergoing quite an infrastructure renewal, and we wanted to make sure that Google Maps reflects the current wave of construction and refurbishment." She notes that the last time a crew from Street View visited Concordia, the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) Building was not yet standing.

The two-man team photographed key Concordia spots, including the JMSB Building, the downtown library and bookstore, and, at Loyola, the Hive, quadrangle, and the recently refurbished Journalism and Communication Studies Building.

"This is an opportune time to highlight the fact that we now have these new buildings, and two revitalized campuses," Niro points out. "This will show prospective students and others that we are not resting on our laurels. We're clearly on the move."

Photography is taken with a device known as the Street View Trike, a large tricycle with a nine-lens camera mounted about seven feet above the ground. The Trike takes multiple shots from every angle, which are "stitched" together to form a panoramic, 360-degree street-level view for Google Maps.

The project is a dream summer job for the students. After they landed the gig through an employment agency, Google flew them to California for training. They then drove back to Canada with all their equipment.

"This is a great opportunity to get paid to travel and see the country," says Chang, a York University business administration student.

In the bargain, they have the opportunity to help other students get their bearings.

"A lot of students get lost when they first come to a new university — sometimes you can't even find the registrar's office", says Tang, who studies International Business at  Seneca College. "Now they can use Street View to scout out the campus beforehand."

Tang and Chang are also doing photo shoots at other universities, as well as local tourist attractions. Their next stop will be Toronto.

Related links:
•    More on Concordia's buildings
•    Google Street View