Google Street View lets you visit the Arctic Circle… without getting frostbite

Starting yesterday, Google opened up the Canadian Arctic to Street View users. In August 2012, an extensive mapping of Cambridge Bay in conjunction with residents and the Nunavut Tunngavik group improved the coverage of a very remote and virtually unknown area.

As described on the official Google blog, viewers can get an idea of what the cold north American region is like. View historical elements of Inuit culture, Arctic souvenirs in the Arctic Closet and even watch the locals fish in Cambridge Bay.

If you are planning a winter holiday, it makes for an effective way to see where you would like to go. Apart from the Arctic, various ski resorts have been updated as well, allowing for previews of slopes of about 90 ski resorts around the globe.

The Arctic maps were made using Google Map Maker and the well-known Street View trikes, producing 360 degree images of the area. Chris Kalluk, a local resident who helped with the mapping, said: “This is a place with a vast amount of local knowledge and a rich history. By putting these tools in the hands of our people, we will tell Nunavut’s story to the world.” Various cultural centres and historically important places are listed for more information.

Google Street view has grown impressively in the last few years, offering more than just street views and becoming a virtual classroom of sorts, or a couch potato travel tool if you like. The Amazon, The Great Barrier Reef and even some mapping of Antarctica allows you to see parts of the world you probably never would.