Virtually Connect to the John Smith Chesapeake Trail and the Chesapeake’s Natural Beauty

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Baltimore, MD - Today, at a White House Roundtable focused on future federal, state and local environmental collaboration in Baltimore City, the Chesapeake Conservancy released a virtual tour of the Patapsco River and Baltimore Inner Harbor.

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Chesapeake Conservancy worked with Richmond-based Terrain360 to map more than 92 miles of 360-degree imaging of the Patapsco River to create interactive views of this beautiful river along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. The tour provides a view of the river from the perspective of a kayaker or boater. Users can virtually travel down the river with their computer, smartphone, or tablet and also access geographic locations, historical information and recreational amenities.

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“Chesapeake Conservancy has embraced technology as a way of engaging people with the Chesapeake and its great rivers,” Chesapeake Conservancy Vice President and Director of Programs Jenn Aiosa said. “We’re really excited about this tour of the Patapsco, as it will help people in an urban setting connect with nature in their own backyard. We hope that those who explore the river from their screens will then be encouraged to go out and see it first-hand, deepening their understanding of the richness and beauty of the Chesapeake and the importance of environmental conservation.”

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Chesapeake Conservancy obtained the footage by partnering with Terrain360 to deploy their one-of-a-kind, custom-made boat equipped with six cameras mounted on the vessel 10 feet above the water’s surface which captures high-resolution, 360-degree images every 40 feet. The cameras are controlled by a central computer, which also automatically captures GIS data, weather data, light data and directional data at 40-foot intervals.

Chesapeake Conservancy’s other Riverview virtual tours include the Nanticoke, Rappahannock, Susquehanna and James (sponsored by the James River Association), as well as the proposed Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. Chesapeake Conservancy is working on new virtual tours of the rest of the Potomac River, as well as the Elk, Sassafras, Northeast and York Rivers.

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“These virtual tours are a great way to get people out to enjoy the outdoors. It can be difficult to know where to begin when paddling,” Terrain360 founder, Ryan Abrahamsen, said. “Our goal is to take out the unknown factors that deter people from experiencing the Chesapeake. When they see where they can launch their boat, where they can take out, and what is along the way, it is a far less daunting task to plan and actually go enjoy this scenic river.”

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The virtual tour of the Patapsco is available on the Chesapeake Conservancy’s website.