google hires camel to film liwa desert 'street' view

google hires camel to film liwa desert ‘street’ view
all images courtesy of google

thanks to google street view, the vast and stunning expanse of abu dhabi’s liwa desert can now be explored by anyone with a computer — virtually, of course. capturing the footage required the google team to create a clever solution to filming the directional points and sprawling, 360 degree views of sand dunes, as the 62-mile oasis stretch isn’t equipped with roads or drivable streets. they decided to ’employ’ a camel for the job, strapping a giant rotating camera to his back and having him walk through the far-reaching sandy hills that comprise his natural habitat. explore the arabian desert, like travelers have been doing for thousands of years, and see the making-of video, below.

the camel traverses the desert dunes with a rotating camera strapped to his back

image of the camel and camera traveling the sandy dunes

google ‘street’ view of the liwa desert

the camel and camera cast a shadow on the sand as they walk across the oasis