Venice finally conquered by Google Street View The Trekker backpack camera was developed to film places around the world that are accessible only on foot, such as the Grand Canyon and the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. In other parts of the globe where cars cannot venture, the company has used Google Trikes, specially-fitted tricycles, to photograph pedestrian-only zones of towns and cities, and even snowmobiles to capture images of ski resorts. The peculiar challenges of Venice may even necessitate the development of Google gondolas. "We'll have those as well, just have patience," Daniele Rizzetto, operations manager for Google Street View in Europe and the Middle East, told La Repubblica newspaper. The images of Venice will be online within the next few weeks, allowing tourists to take an in-depth tour of the city of Marco Polo without even having to travel there. Launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, Google Street View has since expanded to nearly 50 countries around the world, from Andorra to Ukraine.