Apple Maps Walking Cities in England for Better “Look Around”

29 MARCH 2022 - If you see somebody walking around England with a big, teched-out backpack, scanning and beeping like he’s from the future, fear not. It’s just someone from Apple mapping the nooks and crannies of three of the country’s big cities. The UK’s Evening Standard says:

Apple has launched ground surveys on the streets of London, Birmingham and Manchester to gather pedestrian data for its Apple Maps service using special backpacks to capture the necessary data.

From now through the middle of May, backpacks with cameras and other data collecting sensors will turn up on the backs of walkers where cars can’t go. The report says the push is part of Apple’s plan to improve the “Look Around” feature in Apple Maps. That’s Apple’s Google Street View type feature that lets people look around and “walk” around an area, without actually walking around it.