A walking tour of UNL’s City Campus is available via Google Street View.

The software giant added walking tours of 36 North American college campuses, including UNL, to Google Maps on Aug. 7.

UNL’s City and East campuses were recorded April 30 and May 1 by a contractor wearing a specialized Google Trekker backpack. The device, which weighs about 40 pounds, contains 15 cameras that take a series of photos roughly every three seconds. The photos are stitched together to create a virtual tour of campuses for Google Maps.

The Trekker device is an extension of Google’s Street View program, which used a similar camera that captures images from atop a car. Trekker is expanding areas around the world that can be explored via Google Maps.

The program includes a variety of scenic treks, including the Great Barrier Reef, Kennedy Space Center and Venice, Italy. It recently expanded into college campuses and other areas.

“Whether you’re a college applicant or a curious parent getting to know your kid’s new home away from home, Street View can take you on a walking tour of schools around the world,” said Deanna Yick, Street View program manager. “These universities are the latest additions to the hundreds of college campuses all over the world that are already available for you to explore in Google Maps.”

Andy Schadwinkel, marketing director for University Communications, served as UNL’s liaison with Google.

“When UNL was selected as a target candidate for the Google Treks program, we jumped at the opportunity,” Schadwinkel said. “So many people use Google Maps that having a presence there will be helpful to anyone who wants to explore UNL and get a feel of our campus.”

Andrew Swenson, director of marketing and communications for Admissions, said UNL’s expanded presence in Google Maps has the potential to be a useful tool to prospective students.

“We want every prospective student to come to campus and experience UNL first hand, but we know that’s not always possible,” Swenson said. “Google Trek is a way to expand access to campus. It’s a technology that will showcase what UNL looks like physically and will offer prospective students another way to explore campus.”

The East Campus Street View tour is not yet available online.

For more information about Google Treks, click here.