Virtual Tour of the Susquehanna

As you're driving or boating down the Susquehanna in the next few days, you might see something you haven't seen before. A one-of-a-kind, handmade boat. But not just any boat, a boat equipped with six cameras to capture images along the entire length of the Susquehanna River.

In conjunction with its Envision the Susquehanna partners, the Chesapeake Conservancy has sent the handmade boat down the East Coast’s longest river.

360-degree images are taken every 50 feet by six cameras mounted on the boat 10 feet above the water’s surface. Once all the photos have been taken, they'll be put together to create a digital image map of the entire Susquehanna River. The maps produced from the images will include information on public access points, history and more along the river. This will be your chance to explore the Susquehanna from your screen.

“The Susquehanna is the lifeblood for the rich diversity of flora and fauna living within its watershed, provides power to millions of people and is the source of more than 50 percent of the freshwater flowing to the Chesapeake Bay,” Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn said. “With the Susquehanna having been named America’s Most Endangered River by American Rivers twice within the last decade, we realized that we could use technology to make it easier for people to connect with the river and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. We know that if people can connect with the river, they will be more likely to become stewards of the Susquehanna.”

“We’re having a great time out on the Susquehanna,” said Terrain360’s Andy Thompson, from the Harrisburg, Pa. area. “It’s a beautiful river, and we’re very excited to share all 700 miles of it with anyone who has an Internet connection. We look a little strange coming down the river, with our red pontoons and cameras 10 feet in the air, but when people hear about what we’re doing, they are very excited.”

The boat and rotating crew are spending the summer capturing the images and creating the virtual tour of the Susquehanna, which they plan to make available to the public later this year.

This week, the boat is scheduled to be in the Cooperstown and Binghamton areas and if you'd like you can follow the journey on Twitter @Terrain360 and @ChesConserv and also submit name ideas for the watercraft.