■ Trekker is the non-car part of Google Maps, taking 360-degree views of places that can’t be reached from the road. Local organizations can apply to borrow the camera system.

■ Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is shooting about 19 miles of state-owned public beaches in Greater Boston, including Wollaston and Nantasket, and beaches in Dorchester, East Boston, Lynn, Nahant, Revere, South Boston, Winthrop, and Spectacle Island.

■ Camera system consists of a backpack containing the camera and batteries, topped by a ball with 15 lenses pointed in different directions. Controlled by a smartphone app.

■ Camera takes photos every 2.5 seconds; battery lasts six to eight hours.

■ Footage is sent to Google engineers, who stitch it together to produce the panoramic view.

■ Trekker weighs 50 pounds and is about 4 feet tall.

■ First introduced in 2012 at the Grand Canyon. Other places recorded include the Amazon rain forest, Canadian Arctic, and the Charles River.

■ Part of Google’s mission “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.’’

Sources: Google; Save the Harbor/Save the Bay